WC 2 Team USA Recap – Women’s Qualification Day

Team USA Recap – Women’s Qualification Day

Pazardzhik, Bulgaria | 2026 UIPM World Cup

Competition got underway today in Bulgaria with the women’s qualification round at the 2026 UIPM World Cup Pazardzhik. A total of 95 athletes from 26 countries were split across three groups, with only the top 12 in each group advancing to the semifinal, making for a highly competitive and unforgiving opening day.

In Group A, Madison Gonzalez finished 24th with 1338 points. She showed strong form in the swim (282 points) and closed her day well with a 581-point laser run, keeping her within striking distance in a tightly packed field, but ultimately falling short of the top-12 cutoff.

Group B saw Rebecca Langrehr deliver the top American performance of the day, placing 16th with 1398 points—just four places shy of advancing. Rebecca set the tone early with an impressive 21V–10D fencing round (244 points) and backed it up with consistent efforts across swimming and obstacle. While her laser run was a little off her season's best, her overall performance showed improvement compared to the first World Cup this season, continuing to close the gap toward semifinal positions. Also in Group B, Phaelen French finished 31st with 1284 points, gaining valuable international experience against a deep international field.

In Group C, Yu Hannah Kim placed 29th with 1213 points, showing resilience throughout the day and continuing to build experience at the World Cup level.

With tight margins across all three groups and limited advancement spots, the qualification round highlighted the depth of the global field and the importance of putting together five complete disciplines. The competition now shifts focus to the men’s qualification round, as the World Cup action continues in Pazardzhik.

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