Ten Belarusians reached the final of the Cup of the strongest athletes in modern pentathlon

The Cup of the Strongest Athletes – the final of the P. Lednev Cup – began on the territory of the RCOP in athletics on September 9, the correspondent of the Minsk-Novosti agency reports.

66 athletes (28 girls and 38 boys) from Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkey will compete. Part of the participants were selected according to the rating of the previous three stages of the P. Lednev Cup, another six athletes received individual invitations from the organizers. Among the athletes are the strongest Belarusians, who this season have already conquered the pedestals of the world and European championships.

The first day of competition was given to women's starts. Of the 36 pentathlons playing in the semi-finals, 18 - nine from each group received the right to go to the next round. It so happened that the blind lot distributed in subgroup "A" the strongest participants. This added intrigue to the competition. Not everyone made it to the finish line. So, Anastasia Eagle left the race after participating in the obstacle course. She got hurt. In order not to aggravate the condition of the athlete, the coaches decided to remove her from the competition. There were other gatherings.

In subgroup "A" the best sum of points for Belarusian Irina Prosentsova (1,390). Vera Khodkevich, Maria Gnedchik, Natalia Savenkova and Alexandra Lyashenko also reached the final. The following local pentathlons were selected from subgroup "B" - Alexander Golovachev, Irina Nikolaeva, Ksenia Baranova and Ekaterina Sachivka. The women's final is scheduled for September 11.

About the preparation of girls for the tournament told the senior coach of the team Anastasia Prokopenko:

- This season the team turned out to be extremely rich - the European Championship, the World Cup, the Union State Cup, and now the final of the Lednev Cup. The athletes are now imprinted adaptation after the competition in Chinese Guiyang – this is the middle mountains. Someone came to their senses within seven days and someone needed 12. It is clear that not everyone was able to maintain optimal condition. Therefore, the last few days before the tournament in Minsk worked on a special program. If not at all, there is a high probability of injury. The opportunity was given to our juniors. Same Alexandra Lyashenko, Ekaterina Sachivka. For them, competing with rivals of this level is an important experience. Both reached the finals - well done.

The interlocutor said that young athletes were not given an obstacle course in training. Now the girls gritted their teeth and overcame it. That's a step forward, too. The coaching staff of the Belarusian national team is pleased with these small successes of promising athletes.

Ah. Prokopenko added that it is convenient when all types of programs are held in the same location (previously in Minsk used two). It is expected that major competitions in modern pentathlon will be held in large hangars and sports complexes. Moreover, all species will have to meet in 90 minutes. This will add dynamics and entertainment, so that the audience does not leave the stands.

On Thursday, September 10, the competition program for the guys will begin at 9:00, and the names of the finalists will be announced at 17:00. Entry is free.

Photo by Sergei Mitsevich