European champion Arthur Lanigan-O’Keeffe faces an uphill battle in the decisive day of the Olympic men’s modern pentathlon when he resumes Saturday lunchtime from 25th place, writes Will Downing.
The Kilkenny champ lost marginally more fencing contests than he won during the intense opening day of fencing competition, where each athlete fights the other 35 competitors in individual duels.
It has left Lanigan-O’Keeffe lying on 196 points heading into day two, 42 points off the medals, and 72 points away from leader Alexander Lesun of Russia, who scored a new Olympic record in winning 28 contests and only losing seven – scoring 268 points in the process.
Lesun has point to prove after finishing fourth at the London Olympics despite being in the medals for almost the entirety of the competition, and has won two of the last three individual World Championship titles.
Those in second and third are still thirty points behind on 238 – this year’s World Cup Final silver medallist Patrick Dogue of Germany and Omar El Geziry, who helped Egypt to team glory at this year’s World Championships in Moscow.
