Latest news with #Pentathlon
Globe and Mail
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Globe and Mail
Nikita Pramod's Medal-Winning Performance at 2025 Pentathlon National Finals
San Antonio, TX - Fairmont Private Schools student Nikita Pramod returned from the 2025 Pentathlon National Finals with several medals and a reputation as one of the competition's brightest young talents. The eighth grader earned silver medals in literature and fine arts and a bronze medal in science during the two-day championship, held May 16–17 in San Antonio, TX. Her performance also helped Fairmont's Invited-division squad secure second place overall, matching the team's podium finish at last year's Nationals. Competing against elite middle-school scholars from across the United States, Nikita drew praise for both academic mastery and poise under pressure. 'Nikita's preparation and composure were evident in every event,' a Pentathlon parent noted. 'She exemplifies the balance of intellect, creativity, and teamwork the Pentathlon is designed to foster.' Discipline, Preparation, and Team Spirit Team mates describe Nikita as a quiet force whose success is built on countless hours of focused study and practice rounds. 'She approaches every subject with the mindset of an athlete in training,' said one. 'Her discipline sets the tone for our entire team.' In remarks after the awards ceremony, Nikita credited her achievements to a strong support network, 'I'm incredibly grateful to my coaches and teammates. Their encouragement pushed me to keep working through every late night of reading and practice quizzes.' She added that she hopes to mentor younger Pentathletes who may not have the same resources she enjoyed, 'I want to pay it forward, especially for students just starting their journey.' A Family's Pride in a Well-Rounded Scholar Parents Suja and Pramod expressed admiration for their daughter's relentless drive. 'Nikita gives her best effort whether she's studying, playing volleyball, or rehearsing lines for a play,' they said in a joint statement. 'Her determination and humility make us proud every day.' Outside the academic arena, Nikita plays competitive club volleyball and is active in theater and performing arts—commitments that demand careful time management yet enrich her educational experience. Looking Ahead With her middle-school career drawing to a close, Nikita now turns her attention to high-school studies and new athletic seasons. Nikita's well wishers believe her Nationals triumph is a preview of greater accomplishments to come. About the Pentathlon National Finals The United States Academic Pentathlon tests students in five disciplines—Literature, Fine Arts, Science, Mathematics, and Social Science—culminating in state and national championships. The Invited division, where Nikita's team competes, attracts schools that repeatedly demonstrate top-tier performance at the regional and state levels.
Eyewitness News
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
From Khayelitsha to the world: Fencing twins set sights on gold in Nigeria
Palesa Manaleng 9 May 2025 | 12:25 Blues Fencing Club Phumza Yantolo Phakama Yantolo Coach Patrick Collings, standing with fencers Phumza and Phakama Yantolo (identical twins) and Lexiy Lancaster, who make up three-quarters of the women's epee squad competing at the African Championships in Nigeria. Picture: Supplied. JOHANNESBURG - Phumza and Phakama Yantolo, identical twins from Khayelitsha, have carved a unique path in one of the world's most niche and strategic sports, fencing. As part of South Africa's senior squad heading to the African Championships in Nigeria, the sisters are not just representing their country but also continuing to inspire a new generation in an often overlooked sport. The 24-year-old pair who have been in the sport for over a decade, are aware of the responsibility, their involvement and success in the sport places on their shoulders, something which they have embraced. 'When I started fencing 10 years ago, I never imagined competing in bigger stages like the African Champs, Commonwealth Games and world Champs. Now, having achieved all that has to be my biggest career highlights. I now have young fencers who look up to me as a role model, and I'm just doing something that I love and enjoy,' said Phakama. South African fencer Phakama Yantolo. Picture: Supplied. The twins, along with Lexiy Lancaster make up three-quarters of the women's epee squad. Fencing has three squads- foil, epee and saber. All three blades have their own rules and regulations, such as where to hit the opponent or the length of the bout. Each weapon has its own characteristics, rules, and signature style. Like in chess, fencers try to think a few moves ahead of their opponents while anticipating a countermove. 'I like fencing because it's a unique sport that challenges me to strategic thinking. I got into fencing through Pentathlon, fencing was the first out of the 5 disciplines that I was introduced to, and I was very curious cause I've never seen anything like it before,' said Phumza. Phumza Yantolo(L) during a fencing competition. Picture: Supplied. The young fencers have helped SA win the silver medal in the women's Epee event at the U20 continental fencing championship. 'We've been members of the Blues fencing club since 2015. Joined the high-performance program that is run by my coach, Patrick Collings. It's a good program that recognises upcoming fencers and challenges them to perform at a higher level. With hard work and dedication,' said Phakama. The are looking forward to flying the SA flag high when they compete in Nigeria. 'I'm once again honoured to represent my country, hard work ahead, but I'm excited this is what I love and enjoy doing. Feels like a personal goal achieved, I'm happy and looking forward to it,' said Phakama about making the African champs team. Phumza and Phakama Yantolo, identical twins from Khayelitsha, at the 2024 African Championships. Picture: Supplied. Facts about the sport: The epee has a total length of 110cm, and its blade is 90cm long. The total weight of the weapon must be less than 770g. Like the foil, the epee is a thrusting weapon only, and the epee attack is with the point of the weapon only. With the epee, the target area is the entire body, head to toe, including any clothing and equipment. Unlike the sabre and the foil, with the epee, there are no right-of-way rules regarding attacks. Any hit which is made is counted. Hits are awarded solely on the basis of which fencer makes a hit first, according to an electrical recording apparatus. The sport is costly, with Epee blades costing R13,175, an individual mask R9,065, and women's individual breeches R8,330. The Blues fencing club is looking for equipment sponsorships for individual fencers, which amount to over R130,000 per athlete. 'Fencing can be made more inclusive by establishing community fencing clubs, creating clubs in townships and rural areas and providing access to facilities, equipment and coaching. Securing sponsorship and donations for fencing equipment, reducing financial barriers to participants, said Phumza.
Reuters
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Beijing to host Obstacle World Championships from 2025 to 2028
April 11 (Reuters) - Beijing will host the first four editions of the Obstacle World Championships from 2025 to 2028, World Pentathlon (UIPM) said on Friday. The maiden World Championships will launch in October this year, featuring Obstacle athletes from the Pentathlon and Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) communities competing on 100 metres, 400m and 3km courses. The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here. The introduction of the competition follows the full integration of the Obstacle discipline into Modern Pentathlon. This development has been backed by the establishment of the UIPM Obstacle Commission and an Obstacle Task-force, which received approval from the UIPM Executive Board on Thursday. "The creation of the UIPM Obstacle World Championships is an important step in the ongoing integration of this popular urban sport into our movement," UIPM President Rob Stull said. "Having successfully introduced Obstacle as a new Pentathlon discipline, it is key that we also provide exciting opportunities for existing OCR athletes to test their skills in a high-quality competitive environment. "It's going to be amazing to see how pentathletes measure up against their OCR specialist counterparts in October." The championships will be hosted at an upgraded sports complex which was designed for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
World Athletics Indoor Championships: Schedule, start times and how to watch
Georgia Hunter Bell, Jeremiah Azu, and Molly Caudery will headline British hopes at this week's World Athletics Indoor Championships, with a strong contingent heading to Nanjing. Building on last week's European Championships in Apeldoorn, the event is a key stepping-stone to the highlight of the season, this September's World Championships in Tokyo. Hunter Bell will be looking to put the disappointment of the European Championships behind her after illness hampered her preparation and she failed to win a medal in the 1500m, despite being hotly tipped for gold. Team-mate and European bronze medallist Revee Walcott-Nolan will also be in action, as will new 60m European champion Azu, who clocked a personal best of 6.49 seconds en route to winning the title last week. Caudery is the defending champion in the pole vault and opted to skip last week's event to manage a minor calf injury, but is in blistering form, having comfortably won the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold in Madrid in late February with a clearance of 4.85m. Her counterpart in the men's event, Olympic sensation Mondo Duplantis, will also be competing for yet more glory in Nanjing. Neil Gourley is in action over 1,500m - aiming to deprive the all-conquering Jakob Ingebritsen of another double gold over both the 1,500m and 3,00m - but George Mills, silver medallist over 3,00m in Apeldoorn, has pulled out due to injury. Here's everything you need to know about the championships: The World Championships runs from Friday 21 to Sunday 23 March at the Nanjing Sports Training Centre in Nanjing, China. In the UK, the Championships will be shown live on the BBC and BBC iPlayer. All times in GMT Friday 23 March Morning session 02:05 – 60m Hurdles (Pentathlon W) 02:23 – 400m (M) – Heats 02:45 – High Jump (Pentathlon W) 03:05 – Triple Jump (M) – Final 03:15 – 800m (W) – Heats 03:55 – 800m (M) – Heats 04:55 – 60m (M) – Heats 05:15 – Shot Put (Pentathlon W) Afternoon session 10:30 – High Jump (M) – Final 10:33 – 1500m (W) – Heats 10:42 – Long Jump (Pentathlon W) 11:18 – 1500m (M) – Heats 11:50 – Shot Put (W) – Final 12:03 – 60m (M) – Semi-final 12:26 – 400m (W) – Heats 12:47 – 400m (M) – Semi-final 13:15 – 800m (Pentathlon W) 13:24 – 60m (M) – Final Saturday 22 March Morning session 02:05 – 60m (Heptathlon M) 02:10 – Pole Vault (W) – Final 02:25 – 60m Hurdles (M) – Heats 02:45 – Long Jump (Heptathlon M) 03:15 – 60m (W) – Heats 04:05 – 800m (W) – Semi-final 04:10 – Shot Put (Heptathlon M) 04:31 – 800m (M) – Semi-final Afternoon session 10:34 – Pole Vault (M) – Final 10:37 – High Jump (Heptathlon M) 11:10 – Triple Jump (W) – Final 11:15 – 3,000m (W) – Final 11:33 – 3,000m (M) – Final 11:50 – 60m Hurdles (M) – Semi-final 12:15 – 60m (W) – Semi-final 12:44 – 400m (W) – Final 12:55 – 400m (M) – Final 13:05 – 60m Hurdles (M) – Final 13:18 – 60m (W) – Final Sunday 23 March Morning session 02:05 – 60m Hurdles (Heptathlon M) 02:19 – Long Jump (W) – Final 02:25 – 60m Hurdles (W) – Heats 03:10 – Pole Vault (Heptathlon M) 03:35 – High Jump (W) – Final Afternoon session 11.35 – 60m Hurdles (W) – Semi-final 11:38 – Shot Put (M) – Final 11:40 – Long Jump (M) – Final 12:02 – 1,000m (Heptathlon M) 12:15 – 1,500m (M) – Final 12:28 – 1,500m (W) – Final 12:40 – 800m (M) – Final 12:54 – 800m (W) – Final 13:01 – 60m Hurdles (W) – Final 13:11 – 4x400m Relay (M) – Final 13:21 – 4x400m Relay (W) – Final
