Young Graz fighter on the way to his Olympic dream in 2028!

Young Graz fighter on the way to his Olympic dream in 2028!

The 18-year-old Stefan Bärenthaler from Graz is becoming a celebrated star in the modern pentathlon. The young athlete has already achieved a remarkable result with an impressive six medals at European Championships and one World Championship. His greatest success was winning the European Championship titles in triathlon and Laser Run in 2024, and he also won European Championship relay silver in Laser Run together with his brother Florian. These triumphs catapulted him to prominence and earned him the award as Athlete of the Year 2024 in the Austrian Association for Modern Pentathlon laola1.at reported.

Stefan trains intensively, spending 20 to 24 hours a week in sports while attending BORG Monsberger in Graz. His sporting ambitions are high: after successfully completing his high school diploma in June, he plans to join the Army Sports Center in the fall. He has already achieved an excellent sixth place in international competitions such as the European Cup in St. Boi. Before the end of the year he will take part in the World Championships in Mossel Bay, South Africa. Great chances of winning a medal are realistic, as Stefan emphasizes: “What I particularly appreciate about training is the challenge of fighting through and constantly getting better.” His long-term goal is the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Promoting talent in Laser Run

In the background of this success is the targeted support from the “Laser Run” squad, which was launched in 2020. Within this system, athletes are divided into A and B squads. Stefan Bärenthaler is part of the A squad, which includes top performers such as Gustav Gustenau and Lisa Sophie Axmann. This structure aims to identify talents at an early stage and offer them optimal training conditions, which supports the continuous development of young athletes like Stefan modernfuenkampf.at presented in detail.