- 3 years ago
Women's Semi-final B
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00:03:35 - Athletes and coaches, athletes and coaches,
00:03:38 10 minutes to start.
00:03:39 10 minutes to start of the second round
00:03:41 of group B bonus round.
00:03:43 Athletes from the OUB bonus round,
00:03:46 ready area, weapons control, weapons control.
00:03:50 First match, by the team.
00:03:52 Lalisa Pitiba and Anna Shimabara,
00:03:58 they're our first two.
00:04:00 Andres Medina, Enio Jean, Rebecca Castauri.
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00:05:39 Okay, athletes, we need you to the bonus round area.
00:05:42 We're not kidding, come to the bonus round.
00:05:45 Bonus round area, athletes, we need you to go
00:05:48 to the weapons control, weapons control.
00:05:52 Lalisa Pitiba, Anna Shimabara, Andrea Medina,
00:05:57 Enio Jean, Rebecca Castauri,
00:05:59 and Ipek Nasin, you're our first matches.
00:06:02 To the bonus round area, please.
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00:06:48 Andrea Medina for Spain, Andrea Medina, Spain,
00:07:02 we need you in the warm up area for the bonus round area.
00:07:05 Enio Jean, Enio Jean for China, Rebecca Castauri,
00:07:10 we need you in the weapons control.
00:07:12 Nelson Turquier, and of course, Malika Guzi,
00:07:15 we need you here now, please.
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00:07:20 Sungmin Jeong and Sigi Kim,
00:07:24 come to the weapons control, please.
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00:09:08 - Yes, hello and welcome to Sofia, Bulgaria,
00:09:11 for the fourth World Cup of the 2023 Pentathlon season.
00:09:15 A bit of snow still on the tops of the mountains,
00:09:18 and that's indicative of the weather here in Sofia.
00:09:21 It's cold, it's breezy,
00:09:23 temptation of a little bit of rain in the air as well,
00:09:26 but that has not dampened the spirits here.
00:09:28 A great vibe in Sofia, Bulgaria,
00:09:30 ahead of this fantastic event.
00:09:32 Props to the organizers as well,
00:09:34 they've done a great job organizing things here
00:09:36 in Sofia, Bulgaria.
00:09:37 As we build up to the start of semi-final B,
00:09:40 women's semi-final individual,
00:09:42 semi-final B about to take place.
00:09:45 The first, of course, will be the fencing bonus round.
00:09:48 So as mentioned, it's quite cool, quite chilly here,
00:09:51 and that's been the theme of the season, to be fair.
00:09:53 We've had some unseasonal weather in many of our events,
00:09:55 particularly in Ankara, Turkey,
00:09:57 for the second World Cup of the season,
00:10:00 where it was so cold we were unable to use the outside pool.
00:10:03 But here in Bulgaria, it is pretty much all things go
00:10:08 in semi-final day as UIPM President Dr. Klaus Schurmann
00:10:11 arrives at the venue in the build-up to the start
00:10:16 of this second semi-final,
00:10:18 women's semi-final B taking place.
00:10:20 Let's take a look at how the new format has changed.
00:10:23 We start, of course, with qualifications,
00:10:25 where fleet numbers are reduced to two groups of 18,
00:10:27 with semi-final A and semi-final B taking place.
00:10:29 After the semi-finals, we're left with 18 best athletes
00:10:32 who contest in the final.
00:10:34 The event is taking place over a content 90-minute duration,
00:10:37 five disciplines with 18 athletes up against each other
00:10:39 and competing for the medals.
00:10:41 Today is, of course, semi-finals day,
00:10:43 so there will be no riding,
00:10:45 but the riding rules point scoring system on your screens
00:10:48 now will go into greater detail later in the competition
00:10:50 about the riding, of course.
00:10:51 We then move over to the fencing bonus round
00:10:54 for the one-on-one bouts,
00:10:56 with the conclusion of the fencing action.
00:10:59 Each victory is worth an extra two points.
00:11:02 We then move over to the pool for the 200-metre freestyle,
00:11:05 three heats here in Sofia.
00:11:08 It's a 50-metre pool,
00:11:10 so that's a little bit of a challenge for the athletes
00:11:11 in terms of time.
00:11:13 We then conclude with the ever-dramatic laser run,
00:11:15 five laps of the 600-metre circuit
00:11:18 with the four laser shooting rounds,
00:11:20 where the athletes have to shoot the five targets.
00:11:21 The first over the finish line, as always, is the winner.
00:11:24 This is the new format.
00:11:25 It's fast, it's frantic,
00:11:26 and a new challenge for athletes to overcome.
00:11:28 Welcome one and all to Modern Pentathlon 2023.
00:11:32 So myself, James Anadarkas and Mariam Amur
00:11:37 bring you live commentary here from Sofia.
00:11:41 And of course, we are building up to the fencing bonus round,
00:11:43 which will be our first live discipline.
00:11:46 But before we get into that,
00:11:47 let's take a look back at the ranking round,
00:11:49 which happened a couple of days ago.
00:11:51 Many big points up for grabs during the ranking round.
00:11:53 So we'll take a look at which athletes have done well
00:11:56 here in semi-final B.
00:11:58 Well, as mentioned, in semi-final A coverage,
00:12:00 Eva Terebini, 80, 25 victories, just nine defeats.
00:12:03 She will be one to watch.
00:12:05 She was ahead of Elodie Cluvel,
00:12:06 who struggled to make the final and in fact finished in 10th place.
00:12:10 Elodie Cluvel is out of the competition.
00:12:12 You can see Jess Varley up there.
00:12:16 And we'll see how she gets on later in this semi-final.
00:12:19 Elodie Cluvel, not been a good day for her,
00:12:22 dropping out of the competition.
00:12:23 Sunwoo Kim, though, was the fastest athlete in semi-final A.
00:12:28 But all attention is on the semi-final B,
00:12:31 which is where, of course,
00:12:33 we will conclude the coverage here of the semi-final day.
00:12:37 And when it's individual, we will know which athletes are where.
00:12:39 So there is our top nine.
00:12:41 Sarah Piniata with 25 victories,
00:12:44 three ahead of Xiuqing Zhang from China.
00:12:47 Crenza Bryson's having a good competition,
00:12:48 21 victories in third place.
00:12:51 And Elpieta Adametti in fourth place is having a great competition.
00:12:55 Ahead of the two Italians, Francesca Tognetti,
00:12:58 Alessandra Fraser, Enes Udzin in seventh,
00:13:00 Jessica Varley in eighth,
00:13:01 and Sihye Kim in ninth place.
00:13:03 Those three athletes locked on 18 victories.
00:13:06 Looking a little bit further down,
00:13:07 Xiangming Zhang of Korea is in 10th place.
00:13:09 Gold medalist from Budapest, Blanca Guzzi, is in 11th.
00:13:12 Ipek Aksin's having a good competition so far in 12th.
00:13:15 Rebecca Castaldi, the charismatic French athlete,
00:13:18 is in 13th place, Mingyu Zhang in 14th,
00:13:21 Andrea Medina Gonzalez in 15th.
00:13:23 And we'll focus more on the athletes a little bit later in the competition
00:13:26 because we are building up to the coverage of the fencing bonus round.
00:13:30 This is where we begin our live coverage.
00:13:32 And we welcome Marion back to the Coverage Box.
00:13:33 Hi, Marion.
00:13:34 Hello.
00:13:35 Semifinal A was a bit of a surprise for some athletes,
00:13:40 but I'm excited for Semifinal B.
00:13:43 Rounding up our 18 athletes, making it to Saturday's final.
00:13:47 It was a surprise, wasn't it?
00:13:48 It basically just goes to show you nobody is safe.
00:13:50 Elodie Cluvel started a minute and eight seconds ahead of 10th place
00:13:54 and ended up in 10th place.
00:13:56 So everything can change.
00:13:58 So I spoke with Mariana Aceo, who, by the way, would have been in 18th place.
00:14:03 Well, she was fencing yesterday, but she decided not to compete.
00:14:06 It wasn't so much that she didn't want, she wasn't able to.
00:14:09 She just decided to preserve herself for World Cup final.
00:14:12 So she dropped out of the competition,
00:14:13 which means our first competition is between local athlete
00:14:17 Vralica Meteva versus Hanna Shibata.
00:14:21 And Hanna Shibata gets her competition off to a good start.
00:14:24 Picking up those two extra points is a long way back from 16th place with 167 points.
00:14:29 But Meteva will not pick up any extra points.
00:14:34 Shibata picks up two, just seven victories in the fencing ranking round for Shibata.
00:14:42 She would need to go on a serious run if she was to make up those points.
00:14:47 In ninth place, Sihye Kim from Korea on 220 points.
00:14:51 That's 60 seconds behind in terms of the hand to get the laser on as things stand.
00:14:57 So I think it's fair to say that Shibata is not really competitive in this competition anymore.
00:15:02 Andrea Medina Gonzalez still has an outside chance.
00:15:06 40 points off ninth place.
00:15:08 Gonzalez on the right, Shibata on the left.
00:15:10 Shibata already with that one victory.
00:15:12 Gonzalez, young Spanish athlete, is defeated by Shibata.
00:15:18 So yeah, Shibata managed to keep her point,
00:15:22 pointed upwards while Andrea Medina went low and she was in without flesh.
00:15:28 So second win for Shibata.
00:15:32 Andrea Medina Gonzalez then is defeated.
00:15:35 Mingyu Zhang from China is the next athlete to come on to the piste.
00:15:40 Mingyu Zhang was seventh in Budapest just a couple of weeks ago,
00:15:45 which was one of her best results in recent times.
00:15:48 Now in 14th place and in a challenge to try and get in that top nine.
00:15:53 A bit of trouble from here but gets the flesh and that is a win for Mingyu Zhang.
00:15:59 Nice and quick as well and already we're in the top 13.
00:16:01 This fencing bonus round is flying by.
00:16:03 Yeah, it's flying by in A and it's flying by in B.
00:16:06 We haven't seen too much of a trend in CYF A,
00:16:09 only with Emma Whitaker I believe, Blanca Bauer had a few touches as well.
00:16:13 Whiska had five victories, didn't she?
00:16:15 So yeah, so far we have Shibata with two, Mingyu with one and looking for a second.
00:16:26 We have Rebecca Castaldi of France on the piste now.
00:16:31 2021 junior world champion.
00:16:35 Strong athlete.
00:16:38 And here we go.
00:16:39 So Castaldi being very cautious at the moment.
00:16:42 Mingyu Zhang knows she needs to attack.
00:16:45 Pushes.
00:16:47 So Mingyu Zhang versus Rebecca Castaldi.
00:16:54 And there is a touch from Castaldi who gets that victory.
00:16:58 An exciting athlete and gets the job done.
00:17:01 Yeah, nice counter pairing with an 8 there.
00:17:20 So up next is Ipak Aksin.
00:17:27 5th in the 2018 Under-24 European Championships.
00:17:31 This is a really good run from Ipak Aksin looking to make a first final.
00:17:35 Been impressed by what you've seen so far in terms of her getting through to this final.
00:17:38 Do you think, Marion?
00:17:39 A semi-final, should I say?
00:17:41 Yeah, I mean it's a step up from Ankara for sure.
00:17:46 She was a previously really good fencer, so I'm surprised we're fencing results thus far.
00:17:51 But yeah, we're just going to have to wait and see if she can make it into that final.
00:17:54 Castaldi then with one victory to her name into the final 15 seconds of this bounce.
00:17:59 Getting stuck together those two and no touch comes in.
00:18:06 9 seconds left on the clock.
00:18:08 Castaldi versus Aksin. 5 to go.
00:18:11 And Castaldi gets the touch.
00:18:17 Just pointing her blade downwards, just messing up Aksin's routine and go up and forward to the flesh.
00:18:26 Rebecca Castaldi, I believe, is training at the moment with the seniors at the IDZEP,
00:18:31 which is relatively new because she was, well, she is a superstar in the junior scene and the youth scene.
00:18:38 But yeah, definitely making her way in the senior scene as we speak.
00:18:43 So up next it is Blanka Guzi from Hungary. Blanka Guzi comes into this competition on a real high,
00:18:49 taking gold in a home event in Budapest just over a week to go ahead of Michelle Gouyash.
00:18:55 It was a Hungarian gold and silver.
00:18:59 Such a strong team, the Hungarians, aren't they?
00:19:01 And they've got talent across the field in both the men's and the women's.
00:19:05 Rebecca Castaldi with those two victories, though.
00:19:07 Blanka Guzi is dangerous from this position and picks up the extra victory.
00:19:14 Yeah, I think Rebecca just was pressed on time at that point.
00:19:18 She tried to make some moves earlier, didn't go for any attacks or anything.
00:19:23 She felt pressed for time, so she just did a flush and it was kind of sloppy.
00:19:26 So that's why Guzi Blanka with that cart and reposed into Castaldi's chest.
00:19:33 Blanka Guzi in 11th place overall at the moment, just 15 seconds behind Sihye Kim in 9th place with 15 points at the moment.
00:19:41 Those points aren't transferred to seconds until later in the competition, of course, but it will be seconds later on.
00:19:46 And that's the way the athletes will be looking at things.
00:19:48 So Blanka Guzi, I mean, she's not the quickest swimmer in the world.
00:19:51 She'll be looking to try and pick up as many extra points as she can here
00:19:56 in order to try to climb as close as she can to Shurima Inchon.
00:20:01 And that is a second victory for Guzi.
00:20:04 So Sihye Kim in 9th place on 220 is part of three athletes.
00:20:18 And there's some quick runners in that top nine as well.
00:20:21 And I know we were predicting earlier that we would struggle to see anyone breaking into that top nine.
00:20:25 We were very wrong. But, you know, when you see those athletes in the top nine,
00:20:31 15, 10, 15 seconds can go in an instant in laser run concept, one bad shoot,
00:20:35 and you're suddenly right back down, you know, in ninth, tenth place.
00:20:41 Yeah, I mean, it's definitely disappointing and frustrating because you've done the entire competition,
00:20:45 but then your fate rests in the hands of the laser shoot.
00:20:49 So it must be frustrating for the likes of Dikluvel.
00:20:55 So Kim Sihye, the second Korean athlete in the semifinal B against Blanka Guzi.
00:21:03 Sihye Kim is in ninth place. So Blanka Guzi has cut that lead by four points.
00:21:10 It's just 11 now. This would effectively act as a four-pointer for Guzi
00:21:15 if she is to try and get in that top nine.
00:21:18 If she loses this, Sihye Kim pulls a further two points ahead of her.
00:21:22 Blanka Guzi would go two points closer.
00:21:25 This is a significant battle, the most significant battle of the Fences Bonus Round so far.
00:21:28 Guzi with two wins to her name so far.
00:21:33 Thought she had the touch then let down her concentration and eventually does get the touch.
00:21:38 Well, try and unravel that one there, Mariam, because that was a confusing little interchange, wasn't it?
00:21:44 Guzi thought she'd won it, then she did win it.
00:21:46 Don't get me wrong, a big win for her in the end.
00:21:49 Yeah, it was just a bit sloppy there, but yeah, she manages to get the touch.
00:21:53 But I do want to explain her tactics a bit.
00:21:56 So she does go and take the high line in expectancy of the athlete in front of her
00:22:02 to go for the bottom of her palm or hand,
00:22:06 in which she takes advantage of that using counter-parry or just going for a direct attack.
00:22:12 But yeah, I think that's why she thought she got the first one.
00:22:15 But yeah, managed to get it at the end.
00:22:19 So Guzi now with three victories, these significant points up next against Jessica Varley.
00:22:25 Jessica Varley is a former World Cup gold medalist, winning in Ankara last year.
00:22:32 Let's see if she can continue this form.
00:22:37 She's got Blanka Guzi to get past now. Guzi with three victories to her name.
00:22:41 She's building up some momentum, but she needs to get a move on now into the final five seconds.
00:22:44 And Guzi does it again. It's four victories.
00:22:46 And Guzi is really proving to be a menace for those around her.
00:22:50 Now just seven points off ninth place is a big point for Blanka Guzi,
00:22:54 similar to what we saw with Emma Whittaker, who did make it into the final.
00:22:57 But it is a dangerous position for Jessica Varley to be in at the moment.
00:23:03 I mean, not for her. She's probably ecstatic.
00:23:06 We always find her at the bottom of the list and runs her way up into that final.
00:23:10 But yeah, Blanka Guzi, Jessica Varley looking in good form.
00:23:17 Yes, I spoke with Jess Varley yesterday, who was talking about having had 18 victories
00:23:24 and she had beaten Mariana Serre, who withdrew from the competition, which would have given her 19.
00:23:29 She said, "Ah, it would have been nice to have got those 19 victories."
00:23:32 And Nath Udze is next up. Nath Udze in seventh place overall at the moment.
00:23:39 Blanka Guzi with those four wins.
00:23:41 So Anais Udze just tempting the blade of Blanka Guzi.
00:23:45 But Blanka Guzi does not go for it and goes for the hand touch from...
00:23:50 and takes that one from Anais Udze.
00:23:52 This is phenomenal from Blanka Guzi. She is on 10 extra points, five victories to her name.
00:23:59 And Blanka Guzi is making up for lost time in that fencing ranking round.
00:24:07 Blanka Guzi, I think, will be a definite favourite to get inside that top nine.
00:24:11 At whose expense, though?
00:24:13 Maybe the two Italians, Francesca Tognetti and Alexandra Frese, will be nervous looking over their shoulders.
00:24:22 But it's 10 seconds that Blanka Guzi has picked up.
00:24:26 First up is Alexandra Frese.
00:24:30 This, you feel, could be another four-pointer because Blanka Guzi is edging closer to everyone above her now.
00:24:37 How far can this run go? Can Alexandra Frese put an end to Blanka Guzi's dominance in the fencing bonus round?
00:24:45 So far, 15 to go.
00:24:49 Hand touch.
00:24:51 Nine seconds on the clock.
00:24:54 Players halted. Frese versus Guzi. It's Italy versus Hungary.
00:24:59 With the final five seconds now, and Frese does get the touch.
00:25:05 No, no touch called.
00:25:07 So Blanka Guzi lives on, but still just four seconds left.
00:25:11 You feel that this reign could be coming to an end now, unless can Guzi find a touch?
00:25:15 Double touch at three seconds.
00:25:17 Both athletes committing.
00:25:21 Both touching at the same time.
00:25:24 Another double touch with two to go. Blanka Guzi has to be super aggressive now.
00:25:28 Frese will just retreat back down the piece. Could that lever open to another attack?
00:25:33 It all lies on this battle now. Guzi with two to go to try and extend their run to six.
00:25:38 I'm not sure she's going to do it, and Frese does find a way past in the end.
00:25:43 I mean, I was already expecting Blanka Guzi to go into that final, regardless of their bonus points.
00:25:49 But yeah, much more comfortable position to be in.
00:25:53 It's an all Italian affair next.
00:26:04 It's going to be an interesting one, isn't it? Alejandro Frese versus Francesca Tognietti.
00:26:08 Two Italians.
00:26:13 Tognietti was ninth in Ankara. Frese was eighth in Ankara.
00:26:19 But Francesca Tognietti's ninth in Ankara came last year.
00:26:23 Francesca Tognietti with a French grip on the right.
00:26:29 These athletes know each other's style, so it's going to be difficult to get around that.
00:26:34 She's trying, Frese is trying to go for it with the blade,
00:26:40 but Francesca Tognietti is defending her blade well.
00:26:43 That's a double touch. Seven seconds on the clock.
00:26:47 Alejandro Frese will have to make a move, and she does, I believe, need to go for a parry on Tognietti's blade.
00:26:56 And she does. Nice flash there by Frese.
00:27:04 So Alejandro Frese makes it two victories and picks up another two points.
00:27:13 That's four points now for the Italian.
00:27:16 So you can see that parry for an eight before she came into that flash.
00:27:24 That's the thing with like French grips, with French grips,
00:27:30 that you do normally have to parry the blade because they do have larger reach.
00:27:36 Elzbieta Adamaiti of Lithuania straight away gets the touch, picks up those two extra points.
00:27:46 Useful points for the young Lithuanian who is making a real name of herself here in this competition.
00:27:55 How far can she go? Can she make it through to the final?
00:27:57 She's in a very good position so far. Fourth place overall. A great fencer.
00:28:01 Had a really good fencing ranking round with 20 victories.
00:28:05 I think she's going to make it through to the final if she carries on in this form.
00:28:10 So up next it is Karenza Bryson. We're inside that top three.
00:28:17 You feel we're not too far off from a Karenza Bryson medal.
00:28:20 She was fourth in Ankara, tenth in Budapest. That was last year.
00:28:23 Seventh in Albany last year. Gold medalist in mixed relay in the European Championships in Bath 2019.
00:28:30 Can she get another medal in Bath at the World Championships later this year?
00:28:35 Well, for the moment she'll be focused on getting through to the final.
00:28:38 Bryson versus Adamaiti. 14 left on the clock. Adamaiti with that one victory to her name.
00:28:45 Quick footwork from the Lithuanian.
00:28:47 Oh, it got scrappy there, didn't it? In for the last five seconds.
00:28:50 It got desperate from Adamaiti and no touch.
00:28:53 So we've got five to go and Karenza Bryson is doing everything right so far.
00:28:56 She's got the priority so she doesn't have to get the touch now.
00:28:59 She's using the piece to her advantage and does in the end get the touch with just three seconds to go.
00:29:04 Good fencing there from both athletes. Karenza Bryson picks up the win.
00:29:08 Karenza Bryson is a really strong fencer. She knows her way around that blade.
00:29:14 As an athlete myself, it was pretty difficult to get a touch with Karenza Bryson.
00:29:19 But she just used the advantage that she had with the timing.
00:29:23 But then ended with a flush.
00:29:26 So, one of our top two athletes.
00:29:29 So next up it is Yuting Zhang from China who's having a very, very good competition.
00:29:35 Was first at the senior age of championships in mixed relay in 2019.
00:29:39 2018 Junior World Championship bronze medalist and is in second place overall.
00:29:45 It's Bryson versus Zhang.
00:29:49 20 seconds left on the clock. Bryson with a victory to her name.
00:29:53 I hope she'd love to make it to and climb ever closer to her opponent above her, which she does.
00:29:59 Four points then for Bryson.
00:30:02 And she moves on to two, three, nine. Now just one point away from Yuting Zhang.
00:30:11 She goes in with a six.
00:30:14 Converts it to a nice 17.
00:30:21 So up next, Yeva Serebrenyaty, who is 15 points ahead of second place.
00:30:29 It would be Karenza Bryson who moves into second if she is to get this victory.
00:30:32 But it'd be hard getting past Yeva Serebrenyaty in this form.
00:30:35 25 victories and Bryson is defeated within a second by Serebrenyaty.
00:30:42 Blink and you miss it. And that's four extra points for Serebrenyaty.
00:30:45 And I think we can say we'll see you in the final.
00:30:48 Although we did say that about Elodie Clivel on a couple of occasions.
00:30:52 So you never say never, but Serebrenyaty picks up those four extra points.
00:30:57 That was a pretty brave point by Serebrenyaty.
00:31:00 A bunch of athletes do that. They use the element of surprise to get in that flesh.
00:31:05 Let's take a look at the results in after the fencing conclusion with fencing bonus round scores added to the fencing ranking round scores.
00:31:11 Yeva Serebrenyaty 19 points ahead of Xiuting Zhang in second place.
00:31:15 A further point ahead of Karenza Bryson.
00:31:17 As Bieta Adematy in fourth.
00:31:19 Francesca Tognetti, Alexandra Frese in sixth.
00:31:22 Anessi Uts in seventh. Jessica Varley in eighth.
00:31:25 Sihye Kim in ninth place.
00:31:27 So remember that 2.20.
00:31:30 And Blanka Guzi just five points off now with that run of five victories.
00:31:35 Very impressive that from Guzi.
00:31:37 Zhongming Xiong a little bit further back. Rebecca Castaldi in third.
00:31:40 Ipek Haksin in 13th.
00:31:42 Mingyu Zhang in 14th.
00:31:45 Andremis Dina Gazaliz in 15th.
00:31:47 Hanna Shibata in 16th.
00:31:48 Ralitsa Medtseva in 17th place.
00:31:51 And Maya Anseo did not start those higher rankings after the fencing.
00:31:57 Up next is of course the swimming.
00:32:01 We will of course conclude the fencing bonus round action
00:32:05 before we do move into the pool.
00:32:07 And that was some good stuff there,
00:32:08 especially from the likes of Blanka Guzi,
00:32:10 who really moved up the rankings.
00:32:12 And all eyes on Eva Terrapin, the 80, who's in very good form.
00:32:15 Could she pick up her second gold of the season, do you think?
00:32:18 Why not? I mean, she's at the top of the pile at the moment.
00:32:21 She's a very consistent shooter.
00:32:23 She's gotten so much better at running as well.
00:32:25 So I don't see why not.
00:32:27 Well, we're going to try not to speculate too much
00:32:29 because the predictions came in the semifinal.
00:32:31 And they were wide off the mark.
00:32:33 Pentathlon keeps you on the edge of your seat
00:32:35 right from semifinals through to the finals, of course, on Super Saturday.
00:32:39 Let's take a look back at the fencing highlights
00:32:41 before we move on to the swimming.
00:32:43 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:32:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:32:51 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:32:54 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:33:06 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:33:09 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:33:20 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:33:34 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:33:37 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:33:42 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:33:47 So those are some of the final moments
00:33:54 then from the fencing bonus round.
00:33:56 We're live here from Sofia, Bulgaria.
00:33:59 It is women's semifinals day, and it is semifinals B.
00:34:02 The nine athletes from semifinals A have already been decided.
00:34:06 We are now waiting to see who the following nine will be
00:34:09 who will join them in Super Saturday's first final.
00:34:11 The first of two finals, of course, ahead of the men's final,
00:34:14 which will follow the women's final on Saturday.
00:34:17 The mixed relay final, of course, will be on Sunday.
00:34:20 OK, so that concludes the action in the fencing bonus round.
00:34:23 Let's just see how things move on then from the fencing to the swimming.
00:34:29 So the action is able, as you can see,
00:34:33 to move on from the bonus fencing round to the swimming pool rather quickly.
00:34:37 200-meter freestyle in our 50-meter pool here in Sofia.
00:34:44 And we look forward to bringing you coverage of the swimming pool.
00:34:50 There it is.
00:34:52 And we were a little bit slow to get swimming underway earlier,
00:34:56 and our understanding is that was because there was a bit of a mix-up with the lanes.
00:34:59 So hopefully the swimming will get underway fairly quickly and efficiently.
00:35:05 There are, of course, three swimming heats.
00:35:07 Heat one, heat two and heat three.
00:35:11 As this competition progresses,
00:35:15 obviously the chance to make up points is
00:35:23 is quite a few.
00:35:27 So since we have some time right now,
00:35:29 maybe we can kill some time talking about athletes and acknowledging
00:35:33 what they do outside the sport as well.
00:35:36 Well, there's Andrea Medina Gonzalez,
00:35:38 who is quite far down the order at the moment.
00:35:42 She's currently in 15th place.
00:35:46 So she will be hoping to push on from here.
00:35:52 And you were going to speculate on what some athletes do outside of the sport.
00:35:55 Interesting take on things.
00:35:57 All you, Marion.
00:35:58 Yes.
00:35:59 No, I wasn't speculating.
00:36:00 I was going to actually recognize the athletes for what they do outside of the sport.
00:36:03 So we were talking to Corenza Bryson yesterday.
00:36:06 We obviously mentioned before that she was a medical student.
00:36:10 And yesterday she just got her final results.
00:36:13 So she's graduating and she's becoming a doctor.
00:36:16 And she's a fantastic, fantastic athlete.
00:36:19 The ability she has to balance all this is honestly astonishing.
00:36:24 Yeah.
00:36:25 So inspiring athlete and person.
00:36:28 Nice to give that special mention there because it is impressive, isn't it?
00:36:31 When athletes are juggling such busy lives away from the sport with such a busy, demanding sport.
00:36:38 These are the super athletes that are competing in five different sports and many of them having,
00:36:44 you know, careers outside of the sports as well.
00:36:47 Busy social lives as well.
00:36:49 So, you know, we saw earlier Anna Kizilikins with a baby.
00:36:53 You know, it just gives you an idea.
00:36:54 The mascot.
00:36:55 Yeah.
00:36:56 The pentathlon mascot.
00:36:58 There's Blanca Guzzi then who comes into this competition on a high.
00:37:02 And she will be dangerous in this competition again.
00:37:05 Let's not rule out potentially Blanca Guzzi being a threat for a medal in this competition.
00:37:12 She was in outrageous form in Budapest.
00:37:14 It does seem to be something about Budapest that brings out the best in these Hungarian female athletes.
00:37:18 Michele Goullés winning gold the previous year.
00:37:21 Guzzi winning gold this year and Goullés winning silver as well.
00:37:24 So it was a Hungarian domination in Budapest.
00:37:27 There is Kerenza who we were just talking about, who is just passed a doctor's course.
00:37:39 And just getting herself ready for the swim.
00:37:43 She's a great personality, Kerenza Bryson, isn't she?
00:37:45 She's always smiling, always laughing.
00:37:49 Yeah, kind of seems to be a trend with the British athletes in general.
00:37:53 They seem to have good spirits.
00:37:55 They're a good team.
00:37:56 Tight-knit.
00:37:58 Bulgarian team there.
00:37:59 They are enjoying competing in front of their home crowd.
00:38:06 Alica Miteva putting together a good competition.
00:38:13 It's always good to see locals doing well in a local event.
00:38:26 Their coach comes from Greece as well.
00:38:31 There is the fantastic Korean fashion.
00:38:36 I'll tell you what, she can get her shoulders in some impressive positions.
00:38:40 Very flexible.
00:38:43 Can you move your shoulders like that?
00:38:45 Considering I just had a shoulder surgery, I don't think so.
00:38:48 Probably not, right?
00:38:50 But yeah, these athletes do have to have incredible mobility to endure the kind of stress the sport does put them under.
00:39:00 Pretty common for athletes to have that kind of mobility.
00:39:05 That is, I believe, Kim Sihye, if I'm not mistaken.
00:39:11 Seems very focused, very calm, doesn't she?
00:39:14 Great pool facilities here in Bulgaria as well.
00:39:17 It's an indoor pool, nice and warm for the athletes as well.
00:39:22 You can see Aksin.
00:39:24 Ipak Aksin, who's in lane two in this first team.
00:39:28 Feels like we're a bit of a while away from the start.
00:39:30 That has to be said.
00:39:32 Athletes don't quite seem ready.
00:39:34 I think we've got four minutes to go until the start of this race.
00:39:39 Yeah, Yaya Basur-Pinayti in her shot there.
00:39:42 She's a really strong swimmer.
00:39:44 She's had a good fence.
00:39:46 So just carrying on that momentum through to the laser run will definitely secure her spot in the final.
00:39:53 Yaya Basur-Pinayti, who is top of the pile, looking very, very relaxed out there.
00:39:58 It has to be said.
00:39:59 Already won one gold medal this year.
00:40:01 Could she be on track to win another?
00:40:03 Got to get through to the final.
00:40:04 Nothing can be taken for granted in this competition as we found out with
00:40:10 Elodie Cluvel earlier.
00:40:12 We don't want to dwell too much on that.
00:40:14 Elodie Cluvel is a fantastic athlete and no doubt will bounce back.
00:40:16 But the point being made is you cannot rest on your laurels in pentathlon with this new format.
00:40:22 Blankagoozie just showing us how to swim there.
00:40:27 She is actually another great personality, by the way.
00:40:30 Yeah, she is.
00:40:31 And yeah, the medal that she...
00:40:34 That was her first ever World Cup medal.
00:40:36 She got a gold in front of her home crowd.
00:40:38 That's the best situation you could be in.
00:40:40 Absolutely.
00:40:41 It wasn't just a first World Cup gold.
00:40:44 It was a first World Cup medal in front of your home crowd.
00:40:50 Impressive stuff.
00:40:52 So, Krenza Bryson is ready, but she will not be competing until the final swimming heat.
00:40:59 She is a slow swimmer, Bryson.
00:41:01 So, she will need to power through in the later run.
00:41:06 Blankagoozie we are seeing again there.
00:41:09 She is not the fastest of swimmers, but she is not super slow.
00:41:13 Yeah, there are a lot of points up for grabs in the pool.
00:41:22 And it does seem in a new format, if you are a slow swimmer, you will suffer a little bit from that.
00:41:28 So, the athletes are lining up finally to get themselves into the pool.
00:41:34 Our first of three swimming heats.
00:41:36 We will now bring you those athletes.
00:41:39 Ipakaksen in lane 2, Mingyu Zhang in lane 3, Andrea Medina-Gonzalez in lane 4,
00:41:45 Hanna Shibata in lane 5, Elisa Miteevo in lane 6, Mariana Aceo has pulled out of the competition.
00:41:53 So, we will just have those five athletes in our first swimming heat.
00:41:59 I think we also had five athletes in the first swimming heat.
00:42:02 And Sabavan Ekas also didn't come and did pull out.
00:42:06 Fantastic camera angle there, isn't it?
00:42:08 Yeah, that's the underwater camera.
00:42:10 So, it kind of looks like it's averted.
00:42:15 But it has some cool shots.
00:42:17 Camera is, of course, set up by the UIPM Media team.
00:42:21 Props to Steve.
00:42:23 He just had a little dip in the pool.
00:42:24 Didn't he tell you he enjoyed his dip in the pool as well?
00:42:26 Yeah.
00:42:27 Good for Steve.
00:42:28 Gets himself a little bit closer to the action, getting underwater.
00:42:32 To get those fantastic underwater shots.
00:42:34 Big operationists, many different camera operators, local crew, crews from overseas, from Madrid.
00:42:41 Obviously, you come in from Cairo.
00:42:43 We've got people coming in from all around the world to help bring you coverage here of UIPM TV.
00:42:49 Hopefully, you're enjoying the broadcast.
00:42:51 And here come the officials.
00:42:55 Which means we are just a few moments away from the start of the first Swimming Heat.
00:43:11 So, the officials are in place.
00:43:20 There we go.
00:43:33 Moments away from the start of Heat 1.
00:43:40 Here we go then.
00:43:41 The athletes are making their way out.
00:43:43 Epak Aksin of Turkey is first to make her way into the arena.
00:43:49 Fifth in the 2018/19 European Championships.
00:43:52 Looks primed and ready to go in lane 2 here in Sofia.
00:43:58 She was out pretty quick then.
00:44:00 Up next is Mingyu Zhang from China.
00:44:07 Mingyu was seventh in Budapest.
00:44:11 Really good competition there.
00:44:16 Also sixth in the Asian Championships in 2019/2018 Asian Championship gold medalist.
00:44:22 Andrea Medina Gonzalez in lane 4.
00:44:26 Sixteenth in the Junior World Championships in 2021, which were held in Alexandria.
00:44:34 Up next is Relitsa Mitzhaver.
00:44:37 So, up next is Hanna Shibata.
00:44:42 She is competing in her third semi-final.
00:44:49 Karo was her second senior semi-final after making semis in Karo last year.
00:44:55 And then finally, as mentioned a moment ago, it is Relitsa Mitzhaver in front of her home crowd.
00:45:03 And this is her first senior semi-final. So best of luck to Mitzhaver in lane 6.
00:45:10 Ironically, in contrary to the old format, this is one of the fastest heat of the three.
00:45:21 Yep.
00:45:22 Mingyu Zhang could be setting a quick time.
00:45:25 There we go.
00:45:26 Solid start there from Ipak, accent closest to us in lane 2.
00:45:33 So here we go.
00:45:34 The teams, sorry, the athletes, getting a bit ahead of myself there thinking it was mixed relay.
00:45:43 Actually, they are underway in the pool.
00:45:46 50 meter pool, so there's only four lengths of the pool.
00:45:52 There we go.
00:45:55 There's the spin.
00:45:57 The tumble turn.
00:46:02 So we're not going to have official times for this particularly.
00:46:05 But OK, keeping our eye on the lanes and speculate as to who is in the lead.
00:46:15 So it looks like Ipak accent in lane 2 is making a good run of things.
00:46:25 Mingyu Zhang in lane 3 is probably the quickest athlete on paper.
00:46:30 But I think his accent is impossible to deal with the underwater camera there without any graphics.
00:46:35 But we are giving it our best shot, to be honest with you.
00:46:39 Looks like Relitsa Mitzhaver is going pretty well.
00:46:43 And there's Andrea Medina Gonzalez.
00:46:49 But just to Andrea Medina Gonzalez's right, Mingyu Zhang looks like she is clear out in front.
00:46:56 There we go.
00:46:57 Then you can see the Chinese athletes is flying.
00:47:01 And we have just one turn to bring you.
00:47:04 And we will bring you the official times once we get them later.
00:47:07 But there is the turn.
00:47:09 And that is Hana Shibata. That's the Japanese athlete.
00:47:13 You might be right.
00:47:14 It's kind of guesswork. It's difficult to tell with the...
00:47:17 There we go. Hana Shibata then.
00:47:18 So Hana Shibata is putting in a good time there.
00:47:22 Last 12 months, her best time was 2.15.
00:47:24 Hana Shibata storming towards the finish line.
00:47:28 We still have about 20 meters of this race to go.
00:47:31 But picking up the pace right at the end of this race is Ipak accent.
00:47:35 Who's at the front of your shot. But I don't think it's going to be quite quick enough.
00:47:39 Hana Shibata of Japan with the quickest time.
00:47:43 I'm going to go ahead and predict Shibata 2.16 even though we don't have graphics.
00:47:46 That's just a complete guess as well.
00:47:48 Just for everyone watching and listening at home.
00:47:50 Maryam Amur is going to guess a 2.16. We'll write that down.
00:47:54 It's a 2.16.35 to be precise.
00:47:59 Just judging on her pace.
00:48:01 So Heat 1 is done and dusted.
00:48:06 And we can confirm Hana Shibata was the quickest time.
00:48:11 We will wait to find out exactly what that was.
00:48:15 Just seeing the replays.
00:48:18 So we won't have official scores to bring you.
00:48:37 But we can confirm that Hana Shibata was the quickest time in the pool.
00:48:42 The guess from Maryam was 2.16.
00:48:44 We'll keep an eye on that. I'm curious actually.
00:48:48 If we do lose graphics we're just going to play this game the whole way through and just guess the times.
00:48:53 Or maybe we can actually time them then.
00:48:56 Let's have a look at the athletes taking part in Swimming Heat 2.
00:48:58 Anais Utz in Lane 2. Jessica Barley in Lane 3.
00:49:01 Sihye Kim in Lane 4. Blanca Guzzi in Lane 5.
00:49:03 Xiong Mengxiong in Lane 6.
00:49:05 And Rebecca Castaldi in Lane 7.
00:49:08 Those are your six athletes competing in Heat 2.
00:49:12 As we make our way through the swimming.
00:49:15 The athletes will of course come out one by one.
00:49:18 And we will see who is where in just a few moments time.
00:49:23 We will bring you the official times once we get the opportunity.
00:49:27 In the meantime I'm going to attempt to time them myself.
00:49:30 This is in no way official times.
00:49:33 That's a good idea.
00:49:34 Anais Utz then in Lane 2.
00:49:38 Anais was 14th in Budapest.
00:49:41 Which was her best World Cup result.
00:49:43 So comes into this competition in form.
00:49:45 She's got to try and get in the final though with Jessica Barley breathing down her neck.
00:49:49 Jessica Barley in this position is dangerous.
00:49:52 10th in Ankara.
00:49:53 Last time out when she was competing in World Cup 2.
00:49:56 A bronze medalist in the mixed relay in Ankara alongside Miles Pillit.
00:50:00 That's Great Britain's only medal of the 2023 season so far.
00:50:03 Could that be about to change here in Bulgaria?
00:50:06 She was 9th in Cairo earlier this year.
00:50:08 But last year was a real breakthrough season for Jessica Barley.
00:50:10 Silver at World Cup Final, Gold in Ankara in World Cup 4.
00:50:15 Then alongside her is Sihye Kim.
00:50:21 Sihye Kim, the Korean athlete, is 13th in Cairo earlier this year.
00:50:30 Up next it is Blankagoozie who we've mentioned comes into this competition.
00:50:35 Great form, that brilliant gold medal.
00:50:37 Dramatic victory against her teammate Michelle Goullas.
00:50:43 And then alongside Gouzie is Seongmin Seong,
00:50:47 our second Korean athlete in this second swimming heat.
00:50:54 12th in Ankara, 12th in Cairo.
00:50:56 Gold in Team Relimits Ankara 2022.
00:51:00 And finally here in the second swimming heat is Rebecca Castaudi,
00:51:06 the charismatic French athlete, young French athlete,
00:51:11 looking to battle the likes of Elie Clivel and Marie Oteyde for a spot at the Olympics.
00:51:19 Did she get bronze in the Team Relimits in Budapest or am I mistaken?
00:51:24 You're asking me?
00:51:27 No, you just got confirmation from Jamie Cook.
00:51:30 Confirmation, she was 2021 Junior World Champion.
00:51:32 But we are underway here in the second swimming heats.
00:51:37 The athletes are underway and we're timing this ourselves.
00:51:40 So we don't have timing screens on the board, but we will be timing this ourselves.
00:51:52 It's a 50 meter pool, so we haven't got the speed that we had in the likes of Cairo, Budapest and Ankara.
00:52:00 At the first split time, it's around 30 seconds.
00:52:05 So we'll just go right now.
00:52:11 Now there's Seongmin Seong actually for Korea.
00:52:15 Is it the lead of this race?
00:52:18 Yes, Seongmin Seong is leading.
00:52:22 She is currently in lane 6.
00:52:24 You can see on your screens there, second from the end and is absolutely flying.
00:52:30 And we look at the split time roughly what her time is going to be.
00:52:35 It's around 1.04.
00:52:38 So interesting.
00:52:41 That's a good start.
00:52:45 Seongmin Seong is really going fast here.
00:52:48 Quickest time has been 2.18.
00:52:50 So with the 1.04, if she was to go the same pace again, it would be a 2.08.
00:52:53 I think she will slow down in the second 100 meters.
00:52:56 But here we go, heading towards the final turn, making their way through the pool.
00:53:02 And this is still domination.
00:53:04 She's in a league of her own at this.
00:53:06 She really is.
00:53:07 This is incredible swimming.
00:53:08 There we go.
00:53:09 There's the time and consistent time.
00:53:13 She's gone a bit slower.
00:53:14 That's her slowest 50 meters at around 35 seconds.
00:53:17 So here we go.
00:53:20 Approaching the predictions.
00:53:23 Predictions for timing.
00:53:24 I think it's going to be about 2.11 or 2.12.
00:53:27 I think this is a lightning fast time from Seongmin Seong.
00:53:31 I'm going to go 2.17.
00:53:32 You're going to guess for 2.17?
00:53:34 We're going to see.
00:53:36 Well, we've got unofficial times here.
00:53:38 But she's currently at 2.10 with around five meters to go.
00:53:43 2.17 is looking pretty good at the moment.
00:53:45 We're going to split the difference.
00:53:46 It's a 2.15 give or take.
00:53:49 And then probably a 2.17 in second place.
00:53:53 Guzi wasn't too far off as well.
00:53:54 So I'm guessing it was around the 2.15 there for Seongmin Seong of Korea.
00:54:00 Apologies that we don't have official time.
00:54:02 We're doing our best to time it here in the commentary box.
00:54:06 But we're guessing it's around the time of 2.15 there for Seongmin Seong,
00:54:10 which was a pretty good time.
00:54:13 We don't have the official times from Swimming Heat 1 as of yet.
00:54:20 I like this guessing game, though.
00:54:23 It's kind of fun.
00:54:25 And that's the replays of the race there.
00:54:27 Seongmin Seong absolutely dominating it right off the bat.
00:54:33 So just seeing the replays there of Swimming Heat 2.
00:54:50 And Seongmin Seong dominating that Swimming Heat.
00:54:54 And that is two heats down and one still to go.
00:54:58 The closing stages there of that second Swimming Heat.
00:55:02 And coming home in second place was...
00:55:09 I think it was...
00:55:10 Jessica?
00:55:13 Might be Jessica.
00:55:16 OK, let's move on.
00:55:17 We'll bring you official times when we get them.
00:55:20 Yeva set up in the 80 in lane 2.
00:55:23 Xuting Zhong in lane 3.
00:55:25 Karenza Bryson in lane 4.
00:55:28 Adam Aitie in lane 5.
00:55:29 Francesca Tognetti in lane 6.
00:55:31 And Alessandra Frese in lane 7.
00:55:35 This is our final Swimming Heat.
00:55:36 The six athletes competing in the final heat.
00:55:39 And these are the athletes that are highest up the rankings.
00:55:43 And Yeva set up in the 80.
00:55:46 It's a pretty quick summer as well.
00:55:47 And given the position she's in, very, very healthy lead.
00:55:52 We expect to see her in Saturday's final.
00:55:56 Already a gold medalist this year.
00:55:59 Set up in the 80.
00:56:01 Gold medalist in Ankara.
00:56:03 Struggled to qualify for the final in Budapest.
00:56:06 Didn't make it through to the final there, but is in much better form here.
00:56:08 It has to be said.
00:56:09 Up next, it is Xuting Zhong of China.
00:56:15 Xuting Zhong, first at the Senior Asia Championship in Mixed Relay in 2019.
00:56:20 Alongside her is Querenza Bryson.
00:56:23 Fourth in Ankara, getting so close to that first medal, you feel.
00:56:28 And it's the young up-and-coming Lithuanian star, Elzbieta Adamaitis.
00:56:36 Adamaitis, one of her recent successes, was bronze in the Junior World Championships in 2021.
00:56:44 Up next is Francesca Tonghetti.
00:56:50 Two Italian athletes in this third and final swimming heats.
00:56:56 The other is Alexandra Frese, who was eighth in Ankara.
00:57:05 Those are your six athletes competing in this third and final swimming heats.
00:57:10 Once this is done and dusted, the athletes will start pouring their way into the Laser Run Arena.
00:57:15 We will of course conclude semifinals day here live from Sofia.
00:57:20 Final preparations going in then.
00:57:22 And Mariam has got a stopwatch out and will be timing the pool.
00:57:26 We're not going to be guessing, we're going to be timing.
00:57:29 These are artificial results, but as close as we can get them.
00:57:35 Here we go. The clock has started.
00:57:36 The athletes are in the pool and we have timings back.
00:57:42 So, Mariam is still timing, even though we do have the official times now back on the screen.
00:57:48 So at least we can hopefully bring in the results at the end of this race as well
00:57:51 and have a little bit more of a clue as to what's going on.
00:57:54 So apologies for the technical difficulties, but we are back up and running.
00:58:00 It looks like shooting. Jean is in the lead there.
00:58:06 As wonderful as those underwater shots are, it leaves you a little bit guessing as to who is where.
00:58:12 Looks like Hugo Serpenaiti is in the lead.
00:58:14 Yeah, Eva is flying, isn't she?
00:58:16 She is really, really keen to put to bed those bad memories of Budapest.
00:58:23 More focusing on the good memories from Ankara.
00:58:26 One gold medal for Serpenaiti to go along with her gold medal from Albany here in Bulgaria last year.
00:58:33 So Serpenaiti leads as we approach the halfway stage of this race.
00:58:38 There's the turn and it's a 1.05 for Serpenaiti.
00:58:42 I must say that it's a little bit slow going into the tumble turn there.
00:58:45 Allows Jean maybe to cut into a lead a little bit.
00:58:47 2.3 seconds further back in second place.
00:58:50 Donghiety is in third place. 4.4 seconds off our leader, Eva Serpenaiti.
00:58:55 We're over halfway now and approaching the final turn.
00:58:58 Serpenaiti, stroke by stroke, seems to be dominating this third and final heat.
00:59:04 And will look to carry as big an advantage as she can into the laser run.
00:59:08 Take nothing for granted.
00:59:09 We all saw what happened to Elodie Klubel earlier, who dropped out of the top nine
00:59:13 despite starting the laser run with a significant lead.
00:59:16 Eva Serpenaiti will not want that to happen to her.
00:59:18 She's putting everything into this swimming battle.
00:59:20 The final 50 meters of this Olympic-sized swimming pool.
00:59:25 Eva Serpenaiti is controlling the pace well here.
00:59:28 She is not on paper the fastest athlete in this pool,
00:59:32 but she's certainly the fastest athlete in this heat.
00:59:35 How close can she get to her best time in the last 12 months of 2.20?
00:59:40 I'm not sure those times are completely accurate.
00:59:43 It's more a rough estimation.
00:59:44 But Eva Serpenaiti is flying through the pool.
00:59:46 This certainly does look like it's going to be less than 2.20.
00:59:49 Eva Serpenaiti approaches the wall and it's a 2.17.53 for Serpenaiti.
00:59:57 Zhang, four seconds further back.
00:59:59 It's a 2.21 for Zhang with Tong Yeti coming home in third place.
01:00:05 But Eva Serpenaiti will without question be starting the laser run with a lead.
01:00:09 I was just going to actually comment on her stroke rate.
01:00:14 Her stroke rate is actually perfect for the 200 meters.
01:00:16 You don't want to go too fast with your arms,
01:00:20 basically, essentially to save some power for the rest of the race.
01:00:24 But yeah, so I think the angle is kind of, you know,
01:00:30 it makes you think that she's going slow, but she isn't.
01:00:33 Yeah, her turns are good.
01:00:36 Set her up for a good race all in all.
01:00:39 2.17 is good for Eva going into her laser run.
01:00:45 Just in the replays there and sticking with Eva,
01:00:48 who has a pretty much near perfect race.
01:00:52 I'm waiting for the results of the first two heats though.
01:00:56 We still don't have confirmation for those, but we will have in a minute.
01:01:00 Yeah, we should be able to get confirmation of those results.
01:01:03 Mariam's keen CFR 2.16 was accurate.
01:01:07 Well, this is usually where we'd get the results, but it's looking like
01:01:10 a moment will be coming.
01:01:12 We'll just wait and see if they are going to tie.
01:01:20 So my predictions for the first heat was pure instinct.
01:01:23 Second one, we did actually time it so.
01:01:25 It was around 2.15, wasn't it? Yeah.
01:01:27 Might be a second or two off, but I think we're pretty close.
01:01:30 We're just waiting for classification of those results.
01:01:33 The athletes, you can see, making their way out of the pool.
01:01:35 Well, they'll be frantically changing into their laser run gear,
01:01:39 drying themselves off because it's cool here.
01:01:41 They're not going to want to approach the laser on course.
01:01:43 Cold, are they?
01:01:44 So they will look to get as much heat into their bodies as they can.
01:01:48 Would you eat at this point, do you think, as well?
01:01:50 Not food, maybe like power gels, honey even.
01:01:57 Just anything to... No, I'm serious.
01:01:59 Just anything to get those energy levels up after that swim
01:02:02 and something light and here we have the results.
01:02:04 Let's have a look at the results.
01:02:06 So these... Mariam's getting very excited, but these are...
01:02:10 Oh, they've gone... We had them for a second.
01:02:13 It was just the top six that I think we saw there.
01:02:17 So we will, of course, bring you those results as we get them in.
01:02:22 I know you're all absolutely desperate to find out
01:02:25 whether Mariam's guess was correct.
01:02:27 But, yeah, that concludes the swimming and it was a great swim.
01:02:33 Unfortunately, we aren't able to bring you the official times.
01:02:36 I did actually open up the UIPM app so I can confirm.
01:02:39 What did we say Hannah Schubert got?
01:02:41 Hannah Schubert got 216.35.
01:02:43 She got 216.64.
01:02:44 Wow, that's incredible.
01:02:47 Your instincts are brilliant.
01:02:49 We don't need timing screens.
01:02:50 We've got Mariam Amir in the commentary box.
01:02:52 We're going to conclude the swim
01:02:54 and we're going to take a look back at the highlights
01:02:56 before we build up to the start of the laser run.
01:02:59 # ELECTRONIC MUSIC
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01:03:34 Welcome back to UIPM TV.
01:03:49 We're live here from Sofia, Bulgaria.
01:03:52 Our predictions for semi-final A were a little bit wide of the mark
01:03:55 but our predictions from the swimming pool,
01:03:57 especially from Mariam Amir, were spot on.
01:03:59 Guessing the time of 2.16 to within a couple of tenths of a second,
01:04:02 I am very impressed.
01:04:04 We're building up to coverage of the laser run,
01:04:07 which is, of course, the conclusion of this dramatic semi-final.
01:04:11 And if semi-final A was anything to go by,
01:04:13 I think you're going to want to stay tuned and watch this.
01:04:15 This could be really exciting.
01:04:17 Let's just take a look, then,
01:04:18 at how the competition moves from the swimming pool
01:04:20 to the laser run venue, where, of course, we will conclude today's action.
01:04:25 So the pool is just a couple of minutes' walk over the bridge here in Sofia.
01:04:30 Athletes have already made their way to the laser run circuit.
01:04:32 Five times 600 metres, and, of course, points turn into time,
01:04:37 and we have a handicap start.
01:04:39 For shooting series at 10 metres distance,
01:04:41 you've got to hit the five targets in order to progress past the shooting range.
01:04:49 It is, of course, five laps.
01:04:51 The first lap is the formation lap.
01:04:52 Four laps of shooting.
01:04:54 This is the new format.
01:04:55 It's fast. It's frantic.
01:04:57 It's modern pentathlon 2023.
01:04:59 The laser run coming up next.
01:05:02 And there it is, the laser run circuit.
01:05:04 And we've got an old friend of UIPM TV
01:05:07 who has graced us with his presence once again.
01:05:11 Welcome back to UIPM TV to former world champion from 2018,
01:05:17 former Greek coach, current Swiss coach,
01:05:20 former commentator, man of many skills, Jamie Cook.
01:05:23 You know what they say about pentathletes, you know.
01:05:26 Jack of all trades, master of none.
01:05:28 I think that's followed me into my later life.
01:05:31 You won a world championships.
01:05:32 You are, without question, a master of this sport.
01:05:35 So, welcome back.
01:05:36 Thank you.
01:05:37 You're very humble, as always.
01:05:38 Only on TV.
01:05:40 You've been sitting and watching us, observing us.
01:05:42 You always have your little insights.
01:05:43 Have you been watching UIPM TV as a fan of the show?
01:05:47 Yes, I was watching it earlier.
01:05:49 Obviously, the men's event, the men's fencing ranking rounds just finished.
01:05:53 So, we were watching it earlier before that.
01:05:55 And then I jumped into a taxi and headed over to watch the semifinal B.
01:05:59 You've had a bit of a sore back this event.
01:06:00 Is that a bit better now?
01:06:01 It's been killing me, honestly.
01:06:02 Has it?
01:06:03 All the secrets are coming out here on UIPM TV.
01:06:05 No, I've just got a gardening injury.
01:06:09 A gardening injury?
01:06:11 Yes, I've hurt my back.
01:06:12 But it's getting better, thank you.
01:06:16 This is retirement life for Jamie Cook, you know.
01:06:19 He's gardening at the weekends.
01:06:21 You've got an athlete out here, haven't you, Alexander Dallenbach?
01:06:23 Is he here?
01:06:24 No, Vital Mulla is out.
01:06:25 So, we've got three.
01:06:26 We've got Chloe in the women's event, and then we've got two of the boys, Vital and Max.
01:06:31 And Vital qualified for the semifinals.
01:06:34 So, just saw him in action today in the fencing ranking rounds.
01:06:38 Alexander Dallenbach is nervously poised in the rankings, isn't he?
01:06:41 I think he's knee-in-18th place at the moment or something like that.
01:06:44 He's just on the cusp of making it to the World Cup final.
01:06:46 No, no, top 36.
01:06:48 We're well in.
01:06:49 Don't you worry about that.
01:06:50 We're well in.
01:06:52 Yes, it's exciting because I think the World Cup season is coming to a close now.
01:06:57 And I think one of the things that was quite noticeable today, particularly in the men's fencing ranking rounds,
01:07:03 there's a lot of boys, and similarly yesterday with the women's event,
01:07:07 who are all desperately trying to qualify for either the World Cup final or even for team selections for the European Games,
01:07:15 which are coming up in about seven weeks' time.
01:07:18 So, yes, it was probably not the highest standard of competition, but it was very scrappy.
01:07:23 There was a lot of people fighting for these very important selection points.
01:07:30 And just in terms of, obviously now just going back to live competition, preparations are going in.
01:07:38 It's very cold here in Bulgaria.
01:07:40 Does that become a factor?
01:07:42 It's been the theme of the year, hasn't it?
01:07:44 It's just been cold all year.
01:07:45 Yes, we've been a bit unlucky with the weather over the last couple of World Cups, and it is freezing here.
01:07:52 I was speaking to one of the Bulgarian organisers, and they were saying last week it was perfect sunshine.
01:07:57 Next week is meant to also be perfect sunshine, but unfortunately we've been lumped in the middle with some cold weather.
01:08:02 But I'm sure the athletes will be fine. They're well used to it now.
01:08:06 I mean, at this point of the season, obviously we're at the fourth World Cup,
01:08:10 you start to get an idea of who is going to be making it to the World Cup final.
01:08:13 But having said that, we've got some athletes competing for the first time, the likes of Annika Stilikens.
01:08:18 She medalled here. She could go straight into the World Cup final, couldn't she?
01:08:21 There's still lots that could change.
01:08:22 Yes, completely. It's nice to see Annika back, first of all.
01:08:26 I'm still getting used to Annika Stilikens. I keep on calling her Annika Stilikens.
01:08:30 Yes, we did as well in commentary in Budapest.
01:08:32 It's fantastic to see her back. We saw her in Budapest at the last World Cup in the mixed relay.
01:08:39 Now she's making her full debut back into the World Cup scene.
01:08:44 It's brilliant to have her back.
01:08:46 Yes, we've got Francesca Togneti on the screen there, isn't it?
01:08:52 Francesca Togneti, a very good position as well.
01:08:56 I think she's in 11th or 10th or something like that.
01:08:59 She'll probably make the final from that position, would you say? Jamie, you know her well.
01:09:02 Yes, I think, obviously, we're moving on to Jess's favourite event, which is the Laser Run.
01:09:07 So she should be comfortable to qualify for the final on Saturday.
01:09:13 But as we saw earlier in semi-final A, as I watched on UIPM TV,
01:09:17 we saw that anything can happen with, unfortunately, Elodie having a very uncharacteristic slip-up.
01:09:26 But it just shows.
01:09:27 We don't want to focus too much on poor Elodie, but you have to mention it, don't you?
01:09:32 I mean, she went from 1st to 10th. It was quite a shock.
01:09:36 Yes, it was a real shame.
01:09:38 And obviously, you never want to see an athlete not do well.
01:09:42 But there have been warning signs through this season.
01:09:45 She hasn't been shooting that well.
01:09:47 Maria Taser was shooting great, either.
01:09:49 I'm sure the French coaches would be furious at us for pointing that out to the athletes.
01:09:53 Marie is coming back from injury.
01:09:56 So she's obviously had that knee injury.
01:09:58 So she's working her way back to full fitness.
01:10:01 Very similar to Rebecca, the French girl in this semi-final.
01:10:06 Yes, Rebecca Castelli. She'll be interesting to see how she shoots in this race.
01:10:10 Yes, but she's a double junior world champion.
01:10:15 So, yes, I know that she's coming back to full fitness.
01:10:19 So we'll see how it goes.
01:10:21 Yes, athletes just warming up.
01:10:23 You can see gloves are on.
01:10:24 So it gives you an idea of how cold it is.
01:10:27 I need a pair of gloves. I'm shivering over it.
01:10:29 It is chilly.
01:10:31 So we are building up to coverage of the Laser Run.
01:10:34 Yeva Serebryany is warming herself up, just out of shot at the moment.
01:10:39 You'll see her coming around the corner in a couple of minutes time.
01:10:42 Coming through, you can see jackets and coats are the order of play here in this competition.
01:10:48 We are moments away from getting the official start time.
01:10:51 So that we can see those times and see who is starting where.
01:10:57 Yeva Serebryany is 27 seconds ahead of Yu Jingzhong.
01:11:04 And I don't want to jinx things here for Serebryany.
01:11:08 She's got a lot of time to get ready for the 2080.
01:11:10 Like I did with Hedy Klubel, I said she's certain to make the final from that position.
01:11:14 I regret saying that.
01:11:16 But, yes, likewise Serebryany.
01:11:19 I think it's hard not to see her getting in the final with a 27-second lead off of second place.
01:11:26 Well, hopefully lightning doesn't strike twice.
01:11:29 We're giving the weather here today.
01:11:32 She's a very experienced athlete.
01:11:34 She's well used to performing under pressure.
01:11:37 She was in Ankara this World Cup, two World Cups ago.
01:11:42 So we would expect that one of our most experienced medalist athletes should be able to safely navigate her way in.
01:11:50 Yeva Serebryany has never won a pentathlon medal that's not gold.
01:11:54 Both of her medals have come and they've been golds.
01:11:57 So it's an all or nothing basically.
01:11:59 Yes, it's not a bad trait to have.
01:12:02 It's the color that you want to win.
01:12:05 So long may it continue for her.
01:12:07 Was it awesome?
01:12:10 So we're waving to Rebecca Castabi at the moment.
01:12:13 She's giving us a big wave.
01:12:14 She's very charismatic, isn't she?
01:12:17 It's always good to get to know those different personalities.
01:12:20 Jessica Varley on your screens there.
01:12:22 She is an athlete to watch in this final.
01:12:24 Let's delve a little bit beneath the surface and see some of those statistics.
01:12:28 Born in 1995, her World Cup debut came in 2017.
01:12:34 She's had 18 starts, one World Championship gold that came at junior level and World Cup medals,
01:12:43 World Cup final medals are gold, silver and a bronze.
01:12:46 She's completed the pack.
01:12:47 Her first came in 2019 in Prague.
01:12:50 Her second was a World Cup final silver medal.
01:12:52 She took gold in Ankara last year as well.
01:12:55 So Jessica Varley has picked up the hat trick of World Cup medals.
01:13:00 Can she make it a fourth here in Sofia?
01:13:02 In terms of how she compares to the rest of the pack,
01:13:05 she's slightly below average in fencing, in 4% lower,
01:13:10 but in riding and swimming, she's above the pack and a full 8% above everybody else in the laser run.
01:13:18 So that is her favorite discipline and that is where she shines.
01:13:21 So expect to see Jessica Varley making a real go of things in this laser run.
01:13:31 So just taking a look at some of Jessica Varley's statistics as she continues at the shooting range.
01:13:38 And in terms of her current results and where she started and where she's finished,
01:13:42 you can see regularly moving up the pack.
01:13:45 11th in Ankara, her World Cup final last year finished in second.
01:13:49 15th to 7th in Alexandria in the World Championships, 10th to 9th in Cairo, 12th to 10th.
01:13:54 She starts in 10th in Budapest and obviously this has not been updated since then.
01:14:02 But in terms of where she starts in this race, she starts in 10th here in Sofia as well here in semi-final B.
01:14:08 And any movement will put her in that final.
01:14:11 So I think it's fair to say I back Jess Varley.
01:14:14 I think you probably back Jess Varley, Jamie.
01:14:16 I think Mary probably all back Jess Varley to get inside that top nine.
01:14:21 And there she is at the range, focused.
01:14:25 Almost talking.
01:14:26 There's a real lip movement going on there.
01:14:28 I'm going to discuss that on the analysis here.
01:14:32 So that really does show the focus that's going into it.
01:14:36 Do you want to try and analyze the lip movement, Jamie?
01:14:39 No, I'm not going to go down that one.
01:14:42 Where's that lip coming from?
01:14:45 Chinese apis.
01:14:46 Yeah, it's just a random leg there, but that is the leg of Xuting Zhong.
01:14:53 So there's some serious stretching going on there.
01:14:55 You're introducing the leg now.
01:14:57 That is the leg of Xuting Zhong.
01:14:59 We couldn't see the athlete.
01:15:00 We could just see a leg.
01:15:01 But there we go.
01:15:02 We've confirmed where the leg belongs.
01:15:04 Yevisirupini80 starting with a 27 second head start.
01:15:11 Watch this shooting now as well.
01:15:15 Is it going to be a clean warm-up shoot?
01:15:17 Not the cleanest.
01:15:19 Okay.
01:15:20 Maybe.
01:15:21 Maybe it's a commentator's quiz.
01:15:22 Maybe.
01:15:23 There we go.
01:15:24 So she's got that done.
01:15:25 And often athletes do say if you're going to have a bad shoot, you'll get it out of the way.
01:15:30 Her coach has literally just walked past the commentary box and he's given us the face that suggests that that probably wasn't the cleanest warm-up.
01:15:36 Yeah.
01:15:37 He did say it was a bit of a, "Ooh," wasn't it?
01:15:39 Yeah, but she's got it out of the way now, though.
01:15:41 She's got it out of the way.
01:15:42 She's got 27 seconds to play with.
01:15:45 Three minutes away from the start of this race.
01:15:48 Jamie's going to go.
01:15:49 Thank you, Jamie.
01:15:50 Always a pleasure to see you.
01:15:51 So we say goodbye to Jamie.
01:15:55 It's always nice to hear Jamie's voice here on UIPM TV.
01:16:00 Let's take a look at the start list then before we get ourselves into a different position so that we can get a good angle of the laser run here in the commentary box.
01:16:09 And there is your start list.
01:16:10 27 seconds ahead.
01:16:12 If this is the position she's in tomorrow, you wouldn't put it past taking a gold medal.
01:16:17 Xu Tingjong is starting in second place.
01:16:20 Corenza Bryson in third.
01:16:21 Francesca Tonghetti in fourth.
01:16:23 Alexandra Frejre in fifth.
01:16:24 Sihui Kim in sixth place.
01:16:25 Xiong Mingchong in seventh.
01:16:27 Enes Uc in eighth place.
01:16:28 Blanca Guzzi is in ninth place.
01:16:30 But wait and remember that 51 seconds, because I can tell you there are three athletes all on the same score.
01:16:36 Vali and Adamaty all 51 seconds off the lead.
01:16:40 Ipak Aksin is in 12th.
01:16:43 Mingy Zhang in 13th.
01:16:45 Rebecca Castaldi is in 14th.
01:16:47 Hannah Shibata is in 15th place.
01:16:49 Andrea Medina-Gonzalez in 16th.
01:16:52 Elisa Miteva is in 17th.
01:16:55 And Mariana Aseo is going to be starting down in 18th place.
01:17:00 But of course wouldn't be starting this race, so she did not start.
01:17:04 So those are where the athletes will be competing in the laser run,
01:17:11 which will be starting in just a couple of minutes time.
01:17:14 Could be an exciting one again, this one, Marian, couldn't it?
01:17:17 Yeah, I mean, unexpected results through and through in pentathlon, so...
01:17:23 Another race proves to be exciting.
01:17:28 Yeah, semi-final A was very exciting, wasn't it?
01:17:33 And semi-final B will conclude things.
01:17:36 The athletes will make their way past the shooting range.
01:17:41 Look at Adamatity is...
01:17:43 You can really get a tell of the cold here.
01:17:45 I mean, she's wearing an ice cap at the moment.
01:17:49 Adamatity is in 11th place, but is in joint 9th place
01:17:54 with two very fast runners, it has to be said.
01:17:57 Guzi and Vali, who we expect to make their way up the field.
01:18:01 Everyone is looking a bit chilly ahead of the start of the laser run.
01:18:06 But we are just a few seconds away now, we're in that final minute.
01:18:10 And you can see there the athletes just practising.
01:18:14 Zhu Tingzhong focusing on her shooting.
01:18:19 We are now just 30 seconds away from the start of a very cold laser run here in Sofia, Bulgaria.
01:18:25 But the action will heat you up, no doubt, on the edge of your seats, I'm sure,
01:18:29 or at home if the start of the previous laser run was anything to go by.
01:18:34 We're in for an absolute belter here, live from Sofia.
01:18:39 Four disciplines over the course of 90 minutes, but it all comes down to this, the laser run.
01:18:46 The conclusion of semi-final B is underway with Yeva Serapenyate,
01:18:51 a lone figure out in front, 27 seconds ahead of the chasing pack.
01:18:57 She makes her way past the shooting range and round the corner.
01:19:02 And Yeva Serapenyate is out on her own at the moment.
01:19:05 A bit like Elodie Cluvel was, lightning cornstrike twice, can it?
01:19:09 I hope not. I mean, Yeva is a very consistent shooter,
01:19:13 so seeing her mess up here would be very uncharacteristic for her.
01:19:17 But Zhu Tingzhong is on the field.
01:19:21 Zhu Tingzhong has a little bit of a lead as well over Karenza Bryson.
01:19:27 Karenza Bryson will be starting in third place, a great position for the British athlete.
01:19:33 Then it's the two Italians, Francesca Tognetti and Alexandra Fraser.
01:19:37 Out of the blocks comes Xiong Mingxiong and Ace Uds in eighth place.
01:19:42 And then we start to get into the business end of things.
01:19:45 Blanca Guzzi, Jessica Varley and, as better, Adam Attiti.
01:19:51 Jess Varley is already looking quite pacey, currently in tenth place,
01:19:55 chasing Blanca Guzzi around the course.
01:19:57 Adam Attiti trying to hold on to those athletes.
01:20:00 And we've got Axin just cautiously making her way around.
01:20:03 But here is really where the battle is going to be,
01:20:06 I think, in this race initially for the first couple of laps, that's for sure.
01:20:10 Jessica Varley is trying to catch up with Blanca Guzzi.
01:20:15 In fact, I think she might be about to overtake her.
01:20:19 And you can see there Ace Uds is doing a good job of keeping ahead of them at the moment.
01:20:25 But it's going to be a challenge because she's got two of the fastest runners behind her.
01:20:29 Yeah, it's still early, but the battle for ninth seems to be shaping up to be an exciting one.
01:20:36 Well, the gap that Yeva Serapignati had over Xiong Mingxiong is increased by a second.
01:20:41 Karenza Bryson has reduced the deficit by a few seconds.
01:20:45 It's all very close. It's all going to come down to the shooting range, isn't it?
01:20:48 Obviously, it helps to have a quick run as well.
01:20:52 But, yeah, we will not be too far away from Yeva making her way to the shooting range.
01:21:00 She is about to complete the first lap.
01:21:03 This is the battle, though, for eighth, ninth and tenth.
01:21:07 And Jess Varley has moved up now into eighth place.
01:21:09 So here we go, arriving at the shooting range for the first round of shooting.
01:21:12 Yeva Serapignati, it wasn't the best practice shoot for her.
01:21:15 Let's see how she is at the range. Makes her first shot, makes her second.
01:21:19 A good shooting from Serapignati. It's three out of three from Serapignati.
01:21:22 Misses her fourth. It's four out of five for the Lithuanian.
01:21:27 And it's five out of five. Serapignati is away cleanly and going well here and looking strong.
01:21:32 I think it's fair to say Serapignati is in good form.
01:21:36 But completing the lap now is this battle for ninth place.
01:21:40 Currently, Jess Varley in eighth place.
01:21:42 In ninth place is Anais Utz with Blanka Guzi in ninth.
01:21:47 So the rest of the athletes are at the shooting range, led in by Juting Zhong.
01:21:51 And Karenza Bryson has already closed that gap up, by the way.
01:21:54 And this is where it really is pressure shooting, because you've got so many athletes next to you.
01:21:58 It's good shooting out there from Juting Zhong, who is away cleanly in second place.
01:22:03 But it's a really good battle now between Sihye Kim and between Karenza Bryson.
01:22:08 Fraser is away as well. Blanka Guzi has moved up the field.
01:22:12 But now we're seeing a battle for the rest of the field.
01:22:14 Who's going to come out in seventh place?
01:22:16 In seventh place it is... just waiting for confirmation.
01:22:22 It is Sun Mingxiong and Anais Utz in eighth.
01:22:25 And Jess Varley is in ninth place. Not the best shoot there from Jess Varley.
01:22:29 That was better. Adam Attiti.
01:22:31 He's on her tail.
01:22:38 So Jessica Varley closing in now on Anais Utz.
01:22:44 So some intense shooting between the athletes as Yeves Serapigneti leads the way.
01:22:52 Dropping back a little bit there is Francesca Tognetti.
01:22:55 She started in fourth place, but has dropped right down now to tenth place, I think.
01:23:00 So Serapigneti leads. Sihye Kim in second.
01:23:03 Ju Tingjong in third. Karenza Bryson in fourth.
01:23:06 Alexandra Fraser in fifth. Blanka Guzi is in sixth place.
01:23:09 Sun Mingxiong is in seventh place.
01:23:13 Eighth place is Jessica Varley. Anais Utz is in ninth.
01:23:17 Hasbieta Adamattiti is in eleventh place.
01:23:22 Still a lot can change. You only have one round of shooting.
01:23:24 And you do feel like a lot will be decided in the shooting range.
01:23:29 Jessica Varley back up to eighth place now and chasing down Sun Mingxiong.
01:23:32 It was great shooting that from Blanka Guzi who has now opened up a ten second gap over herself and Jessica Varley.
01:23:39 Yeah, she has to wait for that window to be able to get ahead and just maintain her lead.
01:23:44 So our leader is back in the range.
01:23:46 Yeves Serapigneti had a great shooting routine in that first round.
01:23:50 So there we go. She's at the range.
01:23:54 Shooting well, focusing well. This is good stuff from Serapigneti.
01:23:58 Although she's hit the 11 second mark. It's not too bad at all.
01:24:03 I think she'll be happy with that. It's pretty straightforward for Serapigneti now.
01:24:07 She's away from the shooting range before anyone else is even there.
01:24:11 Sihye Kim arrives in second place.
01:24:14 Alongside her is Alexandra Frazer. Here we go then.
01:24:17 Let's keep our eyes peeled on who is going to get away from the shooting range.
01:24:22 Well, here Blanka Guzi is having a great shooting round.
01:24:26 Blanka Guzi an eight second shoot and it's all a little bit clustered there.
01:24:30 Second, third and fourth.
01:24:34 Fifth is Frazer.
01:24:36 Shooting strong is sixth.
01:24:38 Yeah, so Sihye Kim in second, Corenza Bryson in third, Blanka Guzi in fourth, Alexandra Frazer in fifth.
01:24:44 Shooting strong is sixth.
01:24:46 Strong and strong.
01:24:47 Strong and strong in seventh. Jessica Varley has moved up to eighth place now by the shooting routine.
01:24:51 Adam Attiti has dropped back a little bit here. She's still in ninth place.
01:24:56 Adam Attiti has climbed inside that top nine and currently occupied ninth place.
01:25:00 Francesca Tognietti has missed out so far.
01:25:03 She started in fourth place. She's now dropped down to tenth.
01:25:06 And Adam Attiti has managed to get herself inside that top nine and could be about to qualify.
01:25:11 I think it would be right in saying her first final.
01:25:13 I'm actually not sure, but it would be pretty historic.
01:25:17 Yeah. Jova Serepinieti is leading the way.
01:25:22 And in ninth place, her teammate Adam Attiti is having a very strong laser run here
01:25:27 and has moved up into ninth place. Can she hang on to it?
01:25:31 That would mean that all four Lithuanians would be competing in this final.
01:25:35 Yeah, it's a very, very strong competition for the Lithuanian team who have got four very strong athletes.
01:25:40 So, we're settling into a bit of a rhythm now.
01:25:44 Adam Attiti is going to be full of adrenaline.
01:25:48 She feels she is close now. She's a lone figure out in the middle of the track.
01:25:53 Jessica Varley is in eighth place.
01:25:55 And there you can see Francesca Tognietti, who is just one place away from that top nine.
01:26:00 And Adam Attiti is still running, I think, with the ice pack on her head, isn't she?
01:26:04 I think she has wet hair from the swimming.
01:26:07 So, she's just looking not to get a goal going into this final, I guess.
01:26:11 She seems to be extending her lead from Francesca Tognietti.
01:26:16 So, one Lithuanian in ninth place, taking her attention.
01:26:20 Another at the shooting range, Javica Serapinati for a penultimate shoot.
01:26:25 She's shooting very well here, it has to be said.
01:26:28 Great stuff from Javica Serapinati.
01:26:30 It's four out of five, and it's five out of five.
01:26:33 That is easy. Seven-second shoot there for Javica Serapinati, who is flying, it has to be said.
01:26:39 So, attention back on the shooting range.
01:26:41 Blanka Guzzi at the range, came through in second place.
01:26:44 I think she's going to come out in second place.
01:26:46 Blanka Guzzi is flying as well.
01:26:48 Misses her final shot, though.
01:26:50 And she's struggling a little bit on this fifth shot.
01:26:52 Guzzi getting caught out a little bit here, but there we go.
01:26:55 Easy stuff for Blanka Guzzi.
01:26:57 And then we get a cluster of athletes making their way out.
01:27:00 Sikhi Kim is away.
01:27:01 Fres is having a good laser run.
01:27:03 Krenza Bryson is having a good laser run.
01:27:05 As is Xiong, who was in second and has dropped a little bit further down.
01:27:08 Vali is safely in that top nine.
01:27:11 But who comes out in eighth place?
01:27:14 Well, there is your answer.
01:27:15 It is Xiong Minxiong, who's gone from seventh to eighth.
01:27:18 But this is now the battle for ninth place.
01:27:20 Who holds their own here?
01:27:21 It's a slow shoot from Adam Attiti, but she gets away.
01:27:24 She's still in that ninth place, but it's closed right up.
01:27:27 Tognetti is only a few meters behind.
01:27:31 And Anesuz, who started in eighth, has dropped down now to eleventh place,
01:27:36 but is still within a chance.
01:27:37 She's only six seconds behind, and there's still a lot to play for
01:27:40 with one more shoot to go.
01:27:42 Yeah, I mean, that's just how dramatic the shoot can be and move things around.
01:27:47 So one more shoot to go, still a lot can change.
01:27:50 But I think those top nine athletes are basically pretty much in.
01:27:55 I mean, yeah.
01:27:56 Never say never, though.
01:27:57 Well, there's only four seconds separating Tognetti and Adam Attiti.
01:28:00 Your confidence is certainly stronger than mine.
01:28:03 That is the battle there between ninth, tenth, and eleventh.
01:28:06 So Adam Attiti in ninth, Tognetti is in tenth,
01:28:09 and Anesuz is still not out of this.
01:28:11 And Tognetti is keeping pace with Adam Attiti.
01:28:15 And if Tognetti can shoot really well,
01:28:17 and Adam Attiti had another slow shoot, then it could all change.
01:28:21 The top eight positions are not so important now.
01:28:25 It's all about trying to see if you can get inside that top nine.
01:28:29 Adam Attiti currently in ninth place.
01:28:31 Tognetti is in a tenth place.
01:28:34 Has dropped from fourth place,
01:28:36 but is still in with a chance of making this final.
01:28:38 But Tognetti looks like she's tiring a little bit.
01:28:40 She's got to find some extra pace on the track.
01:28:42 Adam Attiti is looking very strong
01:28:44 and looking like she is going to take that ninth place.
01:28:47 So one more shoot to go.
01:28:51 So as Arjom says, one more shoot to go.
01:28:54 And Yebe Serapinyatyi is on an all-Lithuanian screen for you there.
01:28:58 First and ninth place.
01:29:00 And here we go.
01:29:01 Serapinyatyi makes her first.
01:29:04 She's been caught up by Blanka Guzi on the track, by the way.
01:29:06 It's three out of five for Serapinyatyi.
01:29:08 Four out of five for Serapinyatyi.
01:29:10 Easy. See you in the final.
01:29:12 Brilliant stuff from Yebe Serapinyatyi.
01:29:14 She just casually jogs away, knowing that her job is done.
01:29:18 Blanka Guzi is in the same boat as well.
01:29:20 Just skipping past.
01:29:22 Easy stuff for Serapinyatyi and Guzi.
01:29:26 A quick rub of the hand from Guzi.
01:29:27 She made her way out of shot as well there.
01:29:29 Great laser run from Sik-Hee Kim.
01:29:31 We'll see you in the final, as will Krenza Bryson.
01:29:35 Great stuff from Frezza.
01:29:38 Jess Varley has made her way up into sixth place.
01:29:41 So Jessica Varley in a solid position.
01:29:45 This is a good recovery.
01:29:46 Song Min Song now in seventh place.
01:29:48 And Ju Ting Xiong is up into those top-nine positions.
01:29:52 And that's a great shoot there from Adam Attiti,
01:29:55 who is now comfortably in ninth place.
01:29:58 Those are your top nine, and those will be the finalists,
01:30:02 unless Anais Oudts, who's in tenth place,
01:30:04 can pull off a miracle run,
01:30:06 but I think it's very unlikely in this position.
01:30:08 Tom Yeti starts in fourth, dropped down to 11th.
01:30:11 This is great running, by the way, from Rebecca Castaldi,
01:30:14 who knows probably she's not quite got the legs to make up,
01:30:17 but the junior world champion is making a good showing of herself.
01:30:22 But I think we are going to be devoid of drama on this final lap,
01:30:25 because the athletes now are making their way around
01:30:28 the final parts of this course.
01:30:30 And Elzbieta Adamattiti is about to qualify for her first ever final.
01:30:37 She's carrying on at a very, very good speed
01:30:40 and has done a very, very good showing of herself here in this final
01:30:46 and is in fact moving up now into eighth place.
01:30:48 That is the level of comfort from her position in this final lap here
01:30:56 as the athletes make their way to the final stages here,
01:30:59 to the start/finish straights.
01:31:01 And you can see Anais Oudts is in the back of the shot,
01:31:04 is finding a little bit of pace later on in this race.
01:31:06 I don't think it's going to be quite enough, though, for her,
01:31:09 and it is a little bit deceiving, that angle.
01:31:12 You can see the athletes comfortably making their way around that.
01:31:15 Yevistad Abiyeti is almost slowing down to a walk.
01:31:18 Blanka Guzi is like, "OK, fair enough. You set the pace.
01:31:22 We'll just all bring it home."
01:31:23 Alexandra Fraser in third place.
01:31:25 Gwenza Bryson's in the mix there as well as is Kim Sihye
01:31:30 and Jessica Varley.
01:31:32 They're all comfortable.
01:31:34 You can see Song Ming Song pretty comfortable as well.
01:31:37 I love this.
01:31:38 It's just casual stroll over the finish line,
01:31:40 just a strut of joy, really.
01:31:43 And there you can see Anna Matiti fancies a bit of a strong finish here,
01:31:47 doesn't she?
01:31:48 She wants to come home in ninth, but that's absolutely fine.
01:31:52 In the top nine in her first final, and job done.
01:31:56 Anais Oudts misses out just about then.
01:31:58 It's unlucky for Oudts.
01:31:59 She had a good laser on, but it wasn't quite enough.
01:32:01 Togneti drops from fourth place.
01:32:04 Really, really strong finish that there from Rebecca Castaldi,
01:32:07 who misses out on a place in the final.
01:32:09 But strong effort from the young French athlete who started in 14th place,
01:32:15 comes home in 12th place, and really put the effort in there.
01:32:19 And that is the end of this laser run.
01:32:26 And, you know, congratulations to the likes of Andrea Medina Gonzalez,
01:32:30 13th place.
01:32:31 And that is a solid performance from her.
01:32:35 Mingyu Zhang in 14th place.
01:32:38 Still, I think, have a couple of athletes, three athletes out on the course.
01:32:43 There we can see Alitsa Miteva, local Bulgarian.
01:32:48 There is Ipek Aksin.
01:32:51 And then finally, it is Anna Shabata,
01:32:54 the last three athletes out on the course,
01:32:57 and making their way over the start/finish line.
01:33:03 And that concludes the event.
01:33:09 Semi-final B is done and dusted.
01:33:15 And Pieta Adamatyti will be over the moon with that.
01:33:22 Warming down with her coach there.
01:33:27 How is your Lithuanian?
01:33:28 Can you listen into that deep breath?
01:33:30 A big smile.
01:33:32 Lovely girl, by the way.
01:33:33 And she is very, very happy, understandably, with that performance.
01:33:37 Really worked hard for it.
01:33:39 And she is in her first final.
01:33:41 Many congratulations to Pieta Adamatyti.
01:33:45 Her teammate is Eva Serapignieti, who was clean off the line,
01:33:54 shooting Zhong, Gwendolyn Bryson.
01:33:58 So much less action than semi-final B.
01:34:00 It was. I think athletes will be grateful for that.
01:34:04 Adamatyti was probably the standout story.
01:34:06 So Adamatyti, Vali and Guzi all made their way into that top nine.
01:34:11 There was no shock for Serapignieti, who shot very well.
01:34:17 Gwendolyn Bryson having a good, solid semi-final,
01:34:21 shooting Zhong, solid as well.
01:34:26 Jess Vali, we knew, would make it to that final, really, didn't we?
01:34:29 She always finishes higher up than she started.
01:34:35 This is the moment Adamatyti probably felt like,
01:34:38 I'm going to make it.
01:34:40 She built up a nice little lead.
01:34:42 Started on a couple of the laser shoots.
01:34:45 But I think it was her third shoot was a little bit slow, wasn't it?
01:34:48 But her fourth was strong enough.
01:34:51 And taking inspiration from Serapignieti, who shot incredibly well.
01:34:57 She was in her own little battle there.
01:35:01 So they kind of sandwiched those top nine.
01:35:04 Leivis Zyponetsi in number one and Adamatyti in number nine.
01:35:08 So all four Lithuanian athletes are going to be competing in this final.
01:35:12 Blanka Guzi had a wonderful laser on, didn't she?
01:35:15 Blanka Guzi is absolutely... She's a force.
01:35:18 She's a force, isn't she?
01:35:19 She's just getting faster and faster and just looking like really a strong athlete.
01:35:25 And she won gold in Budapest and put it past her winning gold again here.
01:35:30 All smiles for Yevasera Pignieti.
01:35:32 Job done for the gold medalist from Ankara.
01:35:37 Not much the coach can say to improve that performance.
01:35:40 That was from Adamatyti there. We saw that conversation.
01:35:42 So let's take a look at the official results then.
01:35:44 Yevasera Pignieti, Blanka Guzi, Alexandra Frese, Kerenza Bryson,
01:35:48 Si-Hee Kim, Jessica Varley, Zhongmeng Zhong, Yuting Zhong and Elzbieta Adamatyti
01:35:55 are the qualifiers to join the top nine from semi-final A.
01:36:01 They will, of course, be the athletes taking part in Super Saturday.
01:36:07 Looking a bit further down, we will see the athletes sadly have missed out.
01:36:12 No real shocks.
01:36:15 There we can see Anais Uds just missed out.
01:36:20 Francesca Tognetti in 11th place.
01:36:22 Rebecca Castaldi put in a good laser arm, wasn't quite enough, but a good set forward for her.
01:36:26 Andrea Medina Gonzalez in 13th, Mingyu Zhang in 14th, Ibeka Aksin in 15th,
01:36:31 Hannah Shibata in 16th, Relitza Miteyva in 17th,
01:36:35 and Mariana Aceho decided not to start as she is saving herself, of course,
01:36:39 for World Cup Final, which will be the next event in Ankara, Turkey.
01:36:44 We're hoping it's going to be a little bit warmer.
01:36:46 So that concludes things. An exciting laser arm.
01:36:49 It wasn't quite as dramatic as semi-final A,
01:36:51 but great to see Adamatyti making her way to her first final.
01:36:56 That concludes the action here from semi-final B.
01:37:00 Women's semi-finals A is done and tested.
01:37:02 Don't forget though, tomorrow it's all over again with men's semi-finals A and B,
01:37:07 and then we'll know our full line-up for Super Saturday.
01:37:09 That's it for us though from Sofia. We'll see you tomorrow for men's semi-finals.
01:37:13 Bye for now.
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