ARTHUR LANIGAN-O’KEEFFE produced a heroic performance in the modern pentathlon to claim another top ten finish for Ireland at the Rio Olympics.
The 24-year-old from Kilkenny began the day in 25th position but he moved up the field during the riding and combined shooting/running rounds of the event to finish in eighth position.
He follows team-mate Natalya Coyle, who came seventh in the women’s event yesterday, to finish amongst the best in the world after two days of intense competition.
Lanigan-O’Keeffe conjured a flawless round in the riding at Rio’s Deodoro Stadium to earn the maximum 300 points and put himself in a strong position heading into the event’s finale.
And he made up further ground on the leaders with a strong display in the shooting/running to eventual cross the line just 22 seconds behind gold medal winner Alexander Lesun.
Lanigan-O’Keeffe’s top ten finish follows equally impressive performances from the likes of Sinead Lynch and Claire Lambe, Matt McGovern and Ryan Sexton, Thomas Barr, Oliver Dingley, Coyle, Jonty Evans, Rob Heffernan and, of course, medallists Annalise Murphy and the O’Donovan brothers.
The last members of Team Ireland to compete are the men’s marathon trio of Paul Pollock, Kevin Seaward and Mick Clohisey.
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