World Obstacle, UIPM Co-Host Successful OCR Event

More than 600 athletes from 35 nations recently gathered in San Jose, Costa Rica, for the four-day World Obstacle UIPM 2024 OCR World Championships, the third time the organizations have co-hosted an event after Ninja World Cup USA 2023 and the World Obstacle UIPM 2023 OCR World Championships.

Costa Rica’s National Stadium hosted the 100m, 3k and team events, while the 15k took place within the Hacienda Doka coffee plantation. Obstacle racing will make its debut at the LA28 Games as the fifth element of the pentathlon, the result of a long process to replace equestrian riding to ensure the event stayed on the Olympic program.

“We are all very excited about the ongoing integration of the two athlete communities,” said UIPM President Dr. Klaus Schormann. “Modern Pentathlon enjoyed a spectacular Olympic Games Paris 2024 and now we move into the new era with obstacle replacing riding at all levels. This transition makes our Olympic multisport much more accessible to athletes from all countries worldwide who strive to win the ultimate prize in sport.”

The 100m course in Costa Rica saw a new world record for women’s gold medalist Precious Cabuya of the Philippines, who topped competition from silver medalist Katarzyna Jonaczyk of Poland and Tiana Webberley of the United States, who claimed bronze. The Polish team came out on top in the men’s 100m as Wladyslaw Sokolowski managed to defeat Filipino competitors Jaymark Rodelas and Ahgie Radan, who took silver and bronze respectively.

“We’re seeing incredible results on the 100m where we have a standard course and we see records falling,” said World Obstacle President Ian Adamson. “We see a very bright future with our collective sports together, moving forward within the Olympic movement.”