Some resistance and distrust were probably faced by the pioneers, but they prevailed and encouraged more people and finally in 1978 was organized the first World Cup for women and the first World Championships took place in 1981 (London). So this will be the 29th edition for women.
The Olympic Games début was in Sydney 2000 Games. good news this year is the number of participants, 78 sidelined pentathletes, a new record in absolute and relative numbers.
Since the first World Championships, a total of 18 countries were represented at the podium only in individual competition and of those 11 claimed the title at least once, with 22 different winners.
The biggest winner is Danish Eva Fjellerup, with 4 titles (1990, 1991, 1993 and 1994); Poland and Denmark are the countries which collected more titles (5) and Poland have 5 different pentathletes that clinched the title. Russia, Great Britain and Hungary come right behind in the individual gold medal table with four titles each one.
As for the active pentathletes, Amelie Caze from France is the most victorious one, with three titles (2007, 2008 and 2010); Lena Schoneborn has three medals as well, a silver (2007) and two bronzes (2009 and 2010).
The much expected clash between them - who have been dominating the rankings - in their quest for the fourth medal, won’t happen this time as Caze withdrew due to injury. Schoneborn is looking for her first World Championships title which would be the first of a female German pentathlete.
Schoneborn won’t face any previous champion, as Chinese Qian Chen, winner in 2009, also withdrew from the competition, and all other past champions are retired. Another absence will be Aya Medany from Egypt, who finished in second place in 2008 and 2010 and was the winner of WC3 this year.
That means we will have a new world champion this year, and Schoneborn is the name to be beaten. Even at the top of her form this season, winning the World Cup Final and the European Championships, also reaching the podium in two out of three World Cups, Schoneborn knows it won’t be an easy task to claim her maiden title as she will face some old rivals who finished ahead of her previously, like Donata Rimsaite, who was silver last year and changed nationality from Lithuania to Russia this season so will be very motivated, and Rimsaite’s former teammate Laura Asadauskaite, who was silver in 2009 (Schoneborn herself denied Asaudaskaite a better position in 2007, when they finished 2nd and 3rd respectively).
Other past medalists that will be looking for another medal are Latvian Jelena Rublevska (third in 2005 and 2000), Ukrainian Viktoria Tereschuk (silver in 2006) and Czech Lucie Grolichova (third in 1997). However, while some are looking for another medal, many talented pentathletes, from all ages and continents, are looking for their first medal and have real chances of podium.
