World Modern Pentathlon Championship 1955

The participation of famous pentathlon masters in itself spoke of the tension and acuteness of the upcoming fights. The results of the competitions were largely determined by the extremely difficult distance of the equestrian cross 4.2 km long. The route passed over rough terrain with 30 “tightly” reinforced obstacles. Most of them were located mainly on turns, ups and downs, which required high skill of the rider and good preparation of the horse. The first starts showed how difficult the track. Not a single athlete managed to get 1000 points. 18 athletes had less than 500 points, and nine people completed the route with a zero rating. The average result in this form was 500 points lower compared to the V world championship. For the Soviet team, the first point of the equestrian cross program was overshadowed by Novikov’s failure. At the triple banquet, the horse snagged and fell, crushing the rider. Then there was the rule: I didn’t finish the distance — they are taking off the competition. With the help of a coach, he managed to get into the saddle, continue the race, which, according to Novikov, was the longest — almost 20 minutes. Only a high-volitional attitude of the athlete helped him finish. Unfortunately, this section of the training is not recorded in the minutes of the competition, as a result, a zero rating and admission to the next starts. Salnikov in equestrian cross-country showed the 3rd result - 793.5 points, Rakityansky - 21st, gaining 401 points.

Meetings on the fencing track Soviet athletes held more successfully. Salnikov and Novikov each received 804 points, Rakityansky-720, which ensured the team third place in this form for the national teams of Sweden and Hungary. After two types of programs, the Soviet team moved from 8th to 4th place.

Shooting was decisive for all applicants for the world title, and in this exercise, Soviet athletes showed brilliant results: Novikov 187 points, Rakityansky 186, Salnikov 191 points. The latter, showing an enviable composure, not only strengthened his position in the individual competition, but also cemented the success of the team. Having taken 1st place in shooting, the Soviet national team came out in 3rd place following the results of three days of struggle.

In swimming, the Soviet team was also in 3rd place. Now, for four types of pentathlon, the Hungarians were in 1st place, the USSR in 2nd, the Swedes in 3rd.

In personal competitions, Salnikov was only 61 points behind Hungarian Sondi. To get around the opponent, he needed to beat him on the run for 21 seconds. He brilliantly coped with this task. Salnikov covered the track and field distance in 14min 52.0s. High results were shown by Rakityansky — 14min 53s and Novikov — 14min 59s, which provided the team with 1st place in the cross and silver medals in the team standings. Salnikov, gaining 4453.5 points, became the first among the Soviet pentathletes world champion.

The leaderboard of the personal championship was a mosaic of closely following pentathletes from different countries: Salnikov (USSR), Mannonen (Finland), Kovachi (Hungary), Haase (Sweden), Sondi (Hungary), Vetterli (Switzerland). Hull was the first only in swimming and, gaining a total of 3983.5 points, took 8th place, Andre — 10th, Vetterly — 6th, Brignetti went to 25th, Nielson — 28th. There is nothing to be done - the champions also lose. The places in the team championship were distributed in the following sequence: 1st — Hungary (Kovachi, Sondi, Ferdinandi), 2nd — USSR (Salnikov, Rakityansky, Novikov), 3rd — Switzerland (Vetterli, Minder, Glogg), 4- e — Sweden (Haase, Hull, Nielson), 5th — USA (Andre, Lambert, O'Hea), 6th — Finland (Mannonen, Korhonen, Lohi). The victory at the VI World Championship brought universal recognition to the Soviet school of modern pentathlon. The Swiss sports press wrote: “Competitions for the world championship in modern pentathlon have shown that the level of this sport has increased significantly. The balance of power between countries has also changed. Sweden and Switzerland, which previously occupied a dominant position, were able to enter the struggle this time only for third place, while Hungary and the USSR easily won gold and silver medals.

Results

• Risultati dei Campionati mondiali di pentathlon moderno
• Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM)