Team USA Wraps Up Budapest World Cup with Qualification Performances and Semifinal Appearance

The UIPM 2026 Pentathlon World Cup in Budapest marked the final stop of the 2026 World Cup circuit, bringing together 237 athletes across the qualification rounds. The field included 135 men and 102 women representing 39 countries, giving Team USA another opportunity to test itself against a deep international field before returning home for U.S. Nationals.

Team USA continued its 2026 international season with 11 athletes competing across the men’s and women’s qualification rounds. The women’s team was represented by Madison Gonzalez, Cassandra Steptoe, Kseniya Voronina, Kim Yu Hannah, Rebecca Langrehr, and Ingrid Mayer. On the men’s side, Team USA was represented by Luke Filar, Tristen Bell, Temirkhan Sabdenbek, Matthias Preidl, and Michael Arishita.

From a team perspective, Head Coach Vaho Iagorashvili said Budapest showed continued progress for the U.S. athletes across multiple disciplines.

“Overall, I’m pleased with the individual performances from our athletes and the way they competed against a strong World Cup field,” Iagorashvili said. “We saw athletes execute well in different sports and gain valuable experience competing at the highest international level.”

Coach Thora Meyer-Efland also pointed to the team environment as a positive, noting that the athletes continued to support one another throughout the competition.

“The team again supported each other and cheered on the athletes during the competition,” Meyer-Efland said. “Compared to World Cup 2, you could see ascending results at World Cup Budapest.”

Langrehr Advances to Semifinals

Rebecca Langrehr delivered Team USA’s top women’s result of the qualification rounds, finishing 5th in Women’s Qualification Group C with 1443 points. With the top 12 athletes from each qualification group advancing, Langrehr secured a place in the semifinal round and extended Team USA’s presence in the women’s competition.

Her qualification performance was highlighted by a strong fencing result, where she placed 2nd in her group with 26 victories and 268 points. She also added 344 points in the obstacle, 283 points in the swim, and 548 points in the laser run to secure her semifinal position.

“Overall I’m pretty happy to make it through the qualifications with a good competition,” Langrehr said. “To make it to the semifinals was my goal for the last two World Cups, so I’m glad I finally made the step in the right direction.”

In Semi-final B, Langrehr finished 18th in her group with 1067 points and placed 36th overall in the competition. She opened the semifinal with 218 points in fencing, finishing 9th in the group, before an elimination in the obstacle discipline resulted in 0 points and significantly impacted her overall score. Langrehr responded with a 1:03.84 swim for 281 points and closed the competition with a 12:12 laser run for 568 points.

Although the obstacle result prevented her from challenging for a place in the final, Langrehr’s advancement to the semifinal round marked an important step forward.

“Sadly I made a mistake in the OCR which led to an elimination in the semifinal, so I’ll keep investing a bit more into my obstacle training to get the routine and become stronger in this event,” Langrehr said. “Overall this is a process and I’m aiming to make it to the final.”

Meyer-Efland said Langrehr’s semifinal qualification was an important milestone and that the result showed how close the margins can be at the World Cup level.

“Rebecca’s goal was to reach the semifinal, which she did,” Meyer-Efland said. “Without the mistake in OCR, she could reach a place between 9-12 in her semifinal.”

Women’s Qualification Round

Madison Gonzalez led Team USA in Women’s Qualification Group A, finishing 20th with 1374 points. Gonzalez had one of the strongest U.S. swim performances of the day, placing 6th in her group with a time of 1:01.41 for 293 points. She added 214 points in fencing, 314 points in the obstacle, and 553 points in the laser run.

Gonzalez said the result was not what she had hoped for, but she was able to identify several positives from the competition.

“There was a small improvement in fencing, a very solid benchmark in the 100m short course, and a consistent laser-run,” Gonzalez said. “There is still a lot to work on, especially regarding the physical and, above all, the mental aspects during the OCR event.”

Cassandra Steptoe also competed in Group A, finishing 31st with 1242 points. Steptoe scored 172 points in fencing, 315 points in the obstacle, 216 points in the swim, and 539 points in the laser run as she continued to gain experience in World Cup competition.

For Steptoe, Budapest provided several important markers of progress.

“I am pleased to come away with personal bests in OCR, swim, and laser run, as well as a stronger mental focus when competing against talented international athletes,” Steptoe said. “Being able to compete with and cheer on my incredible teammates was a privilege, and I am excited for the future of Team USA.”

In Women’s Qualification Group B, Kseniya Voronina produced one of the top individual discipline results for Team USA, finishing 2nd in the swim with a time of 59.71 seconds for 302 points. Voronina finished 27th overall in the group with 1307 points, adding 178 points in fencing, 312 points in the obstacle, and 515 points in the laser run.

Kim Yu Hannah also represented Team USA in Group B, finishing 31st with 1223 points. Her qualification round included 166 points in fencing, 295 points in the obstacle, 281 points in the swim, and 481 points in the laser run.

After a busy stretch of competitions, Hannah said the experience has helped her become more comfortable managing the full demands of modern pentathlon.

“After a handful of competitions in the last couple of months, putting all five events together in one day doesn’t feel nearly as overwhelming as it did in the beginning,” Hannah said. “I’m working on pacing better and learning how to apply the same mental tools I use in the pool to the laser run.”

In Women’s Qualification Group C, Ingrid Mayer finished 34th with 1139 points. Mayer scored 154 points in fencing, 278 points in the obstacle, 253 points in the swim, and 454 points in the laser run.

Mayer said her first World Cup gave her a better understanding of what is required at the highest level of international competition.

“It was an invaluable experience to have completed my first World Cup and better understand the environment at such a high level of competition,” Mayer said. “This competition has shown me I should adjust my training routine to be more specific, targeted pentathlon workouts.”

Men’s Qualification Round

On the men’s side, Luke Filar posted the top overall U.S. men’s result, finishing 21st in Qualification Group D with 1510 points. Filar scored 208 points in fencing, 373 points in the obstacle, 311 points in the swim, and 618 points in the laser run. His obstacle time of 24.25 seconds was one of the strongest individual discipline performances among the U.S. men.

Filar said his fencing was one of the biggest positives from the competition.

“One area I was happy with at this World Cup was my fencing,” Filar said. “I felt much more confident and got into a better rhythm. One area I would like to continue to improve is my running, as I feel like it is the event I have the most points to gain yet.”

Tristen Bell also competed in Group D, finishing 24th with 1497 points. Bell produced the top U.S. fencing placement among the men, finishing 17th in the group with 16 victories and 214 points. He added 356 points in the obstacle, 313 points in the swim, and 614 points in the laser run.

Bell also produced a personal best in the obstacle discipline, breaking through a key time barrier.

“I got a PB in the OCR and was able to conquer the 30-second barrier, so I am really happy about that,” Bell said. “It is always tough to be good at all five disciplines on the day of a competition, but that is what makes pentathlon unique and challenging.”

In Qualification Group B, Temirkhan Sabdenbek finished 26th with 1502 points. Sabdenbek had a standout obstacle performance, placing 9th in his group with a time of 24.30 seconds for 373 points. He also scored 184 points in fencing, 309 points in the swim, and 636 points in the laser run.

Sabdenbek said the opportunity to compete in a World Cup field was a valuable experience, while also giving him a clear focus area moving forward.

“It was very stressful but incredible to compete among Olympians and world-class athletes,” Sabdenbek said. “Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to the semifinals, but the experience showed me what I need to focus on, and this is fencing.”

Matthias Preidl and Michael Arishita competed in Qualification Group C. Preidl finished 28th with 1432 points, scoring 160 points in fencing, 361 points in the obstacle, 308 points in the swim, and 603 points in the laser run. Arishita finished 29th with 1412 points, with 166 points in fencing, 311 points in the obstacle, 308 points in the swim, and 627 points in the laser run.

Arishita said the competition gave him more clarity on how to approach training and competition preparation.

“My positive takeaway is I’m showing continued improvement and learning what works,” Arishita said. “Moving forward, I know what strategies to continue to refine and can have a more consistent plan in training and competition.”

While no U.S. men advanced to the semifinal round, the qualification results included several strong individual discipline performances and provided another important opportunity for Team USA athletes to compete in the current World Cup format.

Meyer-Efland said the men’s performances reflected continued development, especially coming off the recent training camp in Berlin.

“Michael, Luke and Tristen showed better performances than in Bulgaria, so one could see that the training camp in Berlin was good for further development,” Meyer-Efland said.

Building Toward U.S. Nationals

The Budapest World Cup provided Team USA with another valuable international benchmark as athletes continue to build experience and measure progress across fencing, obstacle, swim, and laser run. Individual highlights, including Langrehr’s semifinal qualification, Voronina’s 2nd-place swim in Group B, Filar’s top U.S. men’s score, and strong obstacle performances from Filar and Sabdenbek, gave the team several positives to take forward.

At the same time, the competition showed the depth and difficulty of the World Cup field, where small margins and discipline-specific challenges can have a major impact on overall results.

“The key lesson is that success at this level comes from consistency across all disciplines,” Iagorashvili said. “The margins are very small, and every point, second, and decision matters. Competing against world-class athletes gives our team a clear picture of where we are improving and where we still need to close the gap.”

Those lessons add to the continued growth and development taking place across the U.S. pentathlon pathway.

Up next is the U.S. National Championships, taking place June 27 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The event will bring together athletes from across the country to compete for national titles, ranking points, and important opportunities within the U.S. competition calendar. From experienced national team athletes to rising competitors looking to make their mark, U.S. Nationals will serve as a major showcase for the depth and future of modern pentathlon in the United States.

With the World Cup circuit complete, attention now turns to Charlotte, where the broader U.S. pentathlon community will come together for one of the most important domestic competitions of the year.

Thank you to our partners:

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Team USA Wraps Up Budapest World Cup with Qualification Performances and Semifinal Appearance