Champion of Champions kicks off today

The two-day International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) Champion of Champions will be held today and tomorrow at the Qatar Foundation Recreation Centre and Al Shaqab arena, with the sport’s best athletes competing at the season-ending event.
A strong field is guaranteed as only the top 18 men’s and women’s athletes are invited to compete. The women’s competitions will be held today, while the men will be in action tomorrow.
Qatar is hosting the event for the fourth consecutive year. This is the first time the Qatar Equestrian and Modern Pentathlon Federation will organise the event after both the bodies merged earlier this year.
The action takes places in a single day, which differs from the usual UIPM competition format when competitions are hold over several days.  The event begins with a 200 metres freestyle swim. A round robin of epee fencing will then take place before the fencing bonus round, with show jumping following on a course with 12 obstacles. Champions will then be crowned after a combined shoot and run using a laser pistol.
Last year, the Germans dominated the event with Patrick Dogue winning the title, while Annika Schleu emerged as the women’s winner.
The 24-year-old Dogue had held off the challenge of world champion Valentin Belaud to triumph in 2016. This time he will face stiff competition from Rio Olympics gold medallist and World No. 6 Alexsandr Lesun of Russia. The 29-year-old Lesun has also won gold at the World Championships in Rome (2012) and Warsaw (2014). Frenchman Belaud, who is currently ranked No. 9, will also be seeking his revenge from Dogue.
Qatar will have no representation this year as Khalid al-Nuaimi, who had participated in the last edition, is out with a shoulder injury.
Meanwhile, Schleu will be missing in action this time from the women’s field. The German had won the last two editions of the competition in Doha.
It will be interesting to see who takes the top spot in Schleu’s absence.
However, there is no dearth of high class athletes who will be in action today. Last year’s Olympic Games silver medal Elodie Clouvel of France will be the one to watch out for.
The 28-year-old, who also won silver at the 2016 Moscow World Championships, will be up against Hungarian Tamara Alekszejev, who is ranked four. World No. 10 Italian Alice Sotero is also a strong contender.

Competitor’s list
Women: Bian Yufei; Elodie Clouvel; Joanna Parker Muir; Ronja Stelnborn; Alexandra Bettinelli; Janine Kohlmann; Tamara Alekszejev; Gloria Tocchi; Alice Sotero; Tomoyuki Ono; Shino Yamanaka; Lina Batuleviciute; Anna Patrycja Maliszewska; Anna Buriak; Ekaterina Khuraskina; Isabella Isaksen; Ana sophia Hernandez Cuellar; Kat Bridgid Coleman Lenehan.
Men: Sergio Ali Villamayor; Luo Shuai; Valentin Belaud; Joseph Tzen Zhun Choong; Patrick Ibrahim Dogue; Marvin Faly Dogue; Riccardo de Luca; Daniele Colasanti; Taishu Sato; Pavel Ilyashenko; Vladislav Sukharev; Manuel padllla Lazcano; Szymon Piotr Staskiewicz; Jaroslaw Tadeusz Swiderskil; Pieter Barend Francois Oosthulzen; Aleksandr Lesun

Revised Today’s Schedule
Women
* Swimming (QF Recreation Centre, 10am)
* Fencing round-robin (QFRC, 11am)
* Fencing bonus round (Al Shaqab, 1:45pm)
* Riding competition (Al Shaqab, 3pm)
* Running & Shooting Combined event (at Al Shaqab, 4:15 pm)
* Award ceremony (Al Shaqab; 4.45pm).