Ireland’s Arthur Lanigan-O’Keeffe rediscovered his form to comfortably qualify for the men’s final at UIPM 2021 Pentathlon World Cup Sofia I.
The Kilkenny pentathlete, 29, finished second in a fast qualification group with 1,129 points to rank second overall of 99 competing athletes, easily securing one of the 36 berths in the final on Saturday (10 April).
Lanigan-O’Keeffe’s strong performance came after a rusty return to competition two weeks ago at Pentathlon World Cup Budapest, where the two-time Olympian fell short of the final.
Having finished 4th in his swimming heat this morning (2:04.09), Lanigan-O’Keeffe hit a purple patch on the fencing piste, scoring 19 victories in his 32 bouts. That took the pressure off and he crossed the finish line second behind Maxim Kuznetsov of Russia after a Laser Run time of 11:40.10.
Irish team-mate Sive Brassil will compete in the women’s final tomorrow (9 April) in the first of two back-to-back Pentathlon World Cups in the Bulgarian capital.
For live competition coverage visit UIPM TV, the UIPM website or download the “UIPM Central” app.
