This sporting triumph is measured in more than medals. It will be remembered because of the special story it leaves behind.
Monaco’s campaign at the 2026 European Modern Pentathlon Championships in Machico, on the Portuguese island of Madeira, delivered everything and more.
A delegation of just five athletes represented the Principality between 22 and 28 June, yet they returned home with six European podium finishes across the disciplines of Biathle, Triathle and Laser Run. At the centre of that remarkable achievement stood Geoffrey Delusier, whose extraordinary haul of five medals confirmed him as one of Europe’s leading competitors in the rapidly growing BTLR (Biathle, Triathle and Laser Run – BTLR) Championship disciplines that took place in Machico, Madeira.
Competing in the Senior category against athletes aged between 22 and 39, Delusier, aged 30, embraced what many regarded as an ambitious challenge. Instead, it became a statement of arrival.
He captured bronze in the individual Triathle before adding a silver medal in the Laser Run, earning the title of European vice-champion. Those impressive individual performances were only the beginning.
Partnering Julia Dale, Delusier helped Monaco secure bronze in the mixed Triathle relay before the pair returned to the podium with silver in the mixed Laser Run relay. Dale’s contribution made the achievement all the more impressive after recovering from a foot injury suffered barely two months earlier.
The Laser Run Relay – Father and Son Triumph
Yet perhaps the championship’s most memorable image came in the men’s Laser Run relay.
Standing alongside Geoffrey on the podium was not only a teammate but his father, Denis Delusier. Together they claimed another silver medal, producing what may prove to be the final father-and-son partnership to compete together at senior European level before Denis moves into the Masters 60 category next season.
Some sporting moments transcend statistics. Watching father and son celebrate a European medal together was undoubtedly one of them.
The Monegasque delegation described Geoffrey’s decision to remain in the highly competitive Senior category as a gamble that paid handsome dividends. Those closest to the team pointed to years of steady improvement rather than sudden success.
His development within ASM Athletics has strengthened his running, continued gains in swimming have rounded out his endurance, and increasingly consistent shooting now allows him to challenge Europe’s established specialists in one of modern pentathlon’s most demanding combinations of physical effort and technical precision.
Monaco’s success extended well beyond the Delusier family.
Frédéric Unternaehr, a corporal with the Monaco Fire and Emergency Service, joined Raphaël Guigli in the Masters 40 Laser Run relay to claim another silver medal, repeating the European runners-up finish the pair achieved two years earlier in Madeira.
The performances underline the continued progress of ASM Modern Pentathlon under the presidency of Julie Lafaye. Having already enjoyed an outstanding BTLR World Championships campaign at the end of last season, the club continues to establish itself as one of Monaco’s most consistent producers of international success.
There is little time for celebration.
Attention now turns to the World Masters Modern Pentathlon Championships in Cape Town this October, where Geoffrey and Denis Delusier, Julia Dale and Frédéric Unternaehr will again wear Monaco’s colours. Later the same month, the BTLR World Championships return to Madeira, with Amanda Lowe expected to make her long-awaited return following injury.
For Geoffrey Delusier, however, the challenge has already changed.
After collecting five European medals in a single championship, expectations will inevitably rise.
The encouraging news for Monaco is that he appears to be rising just as quickly.
