NATALYA COYLE ENDED Irish involvement at London 2012 with one of her best ever showings in the Women’s Modern Pentathlon – securing ninth place in the process.
She was in 11th place after the one-on-one fencing jousts earlier in the day and came in 20th in the swimming discipline.
A superb ride on board Skinners Zed, in the riding section, saw the Meath athlete finish fifth and put her in 11th going into the final event – the combined running and shooting.
Coyle told TheScore.ie, “I can’t believe it. I came in here ranked in the 30s I’d say. I think I was 28th or 29th. The whole thing during the day of being in the top 15, personal bests, season’s bests and to come ninth in the end, I can’t really get my head around it. It is unbelievable.
“Being one of the last events in the games, it has been a long wait but I’m really happy. Hopefully I made everyone in Ireland proud as well, seeing out the games with a bang.” Coyle added:
I’m young still. I’m 21 and I’ve only been competing two years internationally and to be holding (my own), I’m really happy with it. I’ve such a good support staff and all the work they put in with me shows.
She is hopeful that the strong performances of herself and Arthur Lanigan-O’Keeffe, who competed in the men’s event on Saturday, will attract young athletes to the sport.
“It is such a good sport,” said Coyle. “Hopefully a lot of people in Ireland saw that today.”
