IRISH PENTATHLETE ARTHUR Lanigan-O’Keeffe has won a bronze medal in the Men’s Final at UIPM 2020 Pentathlon World Cup Cairo.
A World Cup bronze comes as an excellent start to the season for the Kilkenny man, with the Tokyo Olympics just around the corner.
Lanigan-O’Keeffe qualified for the final in Egypt yesterday in 13th position overall.
And the two-time Olympian had a day to remember as he started 2020 on a high, with a giant step towards Olympic qualification.
The 28-year-old put a difficult 2019 behind him with a terrific showing, making up three places in the Laser Run to snatch a place on the podium.
“I am really happy with that,” Lanigan-O’Keeffe said afterwards. “I put in a really big block of training over the winter and I felt really fit out there today. I hope now I can continue for the rest of the season on this trajectory.
“My swimming was actually about six seconds slower than usual, but that’s because I really concentrated my training on running and fencing over the winter, and it paid dividends. It feels really good.”
Yesterday, Sive Brassil boosted her Olympic bid as she finished 16th in the women’s final, while Natalya Coyle ended up 30th after a roller coaster day.
Tomorrow’s Mixed Relay is still to come.
📢 RESULT: MEN'S FINAL 📢
— UIPM - World Pentathlon (@WorldPentathlon) February 29, 2020
🥇 Adam MAROSI 🇭🇺
🥈 JUN Woongtae 🇰🇷
🥉 Arthur LANIGAN-O'KEEFFE 🇮🇪#WorldCupCairo
Bronze for @ArthurLOK1 in the Final of World Cup 1🥉! !#TeamIreland 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/LNldNx4FXb
— Pentathlon Ireland (@Pent_Ireland) February 29, 2020
