Ad Astra Athlete Lanigan O’Keeffe Rio-bound after he wins gold at European Modern Pentathlon Championship
UCD Ad Astra Academy Elite Athlete Arthur Lanigan O'Keeffe has booked his ticket to compete at the Olympic Games 2016 in style by becoming the first Irish pentathlete to win the gold medal at the (opens in a new window)European Modern Pentathlon Championships.
The 23-year-old clinched the top prize at the championship in Bath, England, by finishing on 1,487 points.
His swim time of 2:02.49 put him in seventh place ahead of the fencing round, where a world-class display saw him taking 23 victories and only 12 defeats, to put him in second place in the competition overall.
Following strong performances in fencing, showjumping and swimming, the Irishman took a 20-second the lead into the final round, the combined running and shooting event, and he ultimately finished the competition 11 points clear of France's Valentin Prades.
Arthur has been part of the University College Dublin Ad Astra Elite Athlete Academy and is studying for a degree in (opens in a new window)Sport and Exercise Management. He is currently taking some time out to pursue his training commitments, but will return to conclude his studies at UCD after the (opens in a new window)2016 Olympics Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Reacting to the gold medal triumph, Arthur told the Newstalk 106-108 FM programme Off The Ball: "Basically this competition was our whole year's focus because the top eight athletes qualify directly for Rio. It just means so much.
"I thought I was going to finish top eight, but I didn't necessarily think I was going to win just yet. It means so much to be European champion, and to have a spot for Rio is just …it's a dream come true; it is just amazing."
Arthur, who competed in the Men's Pentathlon at the London 2012 Olympics added: "The Olympics is just a whole different level ... the pressure gives it a completely different feel.
"I feel like I've got a really big advantage on the younger athletes who didn't compete in the last games. I'm not going to get frightened by the lights or all the crowd or anything, I know what I have to do."
