Oryol and Gnedchik Take Women's Relay World Title

Anastasiya Oryol and Maria Gnedchik won the women's relay world title on the opening day of the UIPM 2026 Pentathlon World Championships in Guiyang, China. The Belarusian pair beat Russia's Viktoria Sazonova and Yana Solovyova to claim the first world gold of their careers.

Seventeen seconds back, one laser-run to go

After fencing, the obstacle race and swimming, they sat in second place, 17 seconds behind the Egyptian team. The race turned decisively in the laser-run. Oryol and Gnedchik closed the gap quickly and built a lead of nearly half a minute by the finish.

European medals become world gold

Earlier in August the pair had shown strong form at the European Championships in Istanbul. Oryol won individual silver there, and then joined Gnedchik and Viyaleta Hureyeva for team bronze with 4,313 points. The Guiyang title turns promise into their most concrete result.

These championships mark Russia's first appearance at a UIPM Worlds since 2019, after the federation lifted sanctions in July 2026. Their silver on the day underlined the depth of the field the Belarusians overcame.

Oryol and Gnedchik left the venue having set the standard on day one. The programme continues with the men's and mixed relays, then the individual finals on 30 August.