Coyle goes into day two lying in joint third position on the overall leaderboard with a total of 238 points.

Over the course of 17 rounds, the athletes competed in one-minute bouts against each other, with the total victories and defeats resulting in points that are accumulated and contribute to the overall total – Coyle’s final points reflect a total of 23 victories/12 defeats.

The Meath athlete took to the piste in confident style, immediately moving towards the top of the leaderboard, maintaining her place in consistent fashion throughout the bouts, with a really strong showing in the first half of the competition.

Keeping her composure over the course of the session, Coyle said that she enjoyed her competition opener.

“It was really good,” Coyle said. “I don’t even know the results yet, I don’t think I’ll look, because Pentathlon is one out of five. I know it started off really well, and I just feel really happy. I’m really glad to have done all the training and my coaches justice, so I’m really happy with that anyway.”

Coyle started strong and kept the pressure on throughout the round.

For the first time the fencing event was held on a different day to the remaining swim, horse ride, and laser run, something she took advantage of: “I was very pumped the whole way through there.

“Normally I try to conserve some energy, but we have more time, so I was pretty excited for each hit. It’s a long time where there’s a lot of mental energy expended. I think it’s three hours, but it flies by, I can’t believe it’s over.”

Fencing is a discipline that Coyle has done specific work on over the past few years, and that work was evident with today’s performance.

“I was really lucky in the Team Ireland holding camp in Fukuroi that I could bring some good fencers, and I think it showed out there in the piste today, it definitely helped.

“It’s the Olympics, the pinnacle of every sport, so you’re pretty much up for every fight.

“I think the big thing is to not ride every loss and normally say don’t ride the highs, but I think I rode them pretty well in the arena. Normally I try to stay calm in between rounds and just let it out on the piste.”

Tomorrow, Coyle will contest the 200m Freestyle Swimming, Fencing Bonus Round, Show Jumping and the Laser Run, and the athlete with the highest number of points at the end of all disciplines is deemed the winner.

The post Team Ireland Pentathlete Natalya Coyle Off To Good Start appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

This will be the Meath woman’s third Olympic Games, most recently she finished 6th overall in Rio 2016. The 30-year-old will be looking to improve on this yet again this year.

This season’s modern pentathlon has 36 athletes and consists of a five disciplines: swimming, fencing, riding, running and laser shooting.

The beginning of the ranking process was 35 fencing bouts for each athlete spread across three and a half hours this morning. Each athlete would score points for their victories which would be totalled up for their ranking position.

Coyle has shown her determination and excitement to be at these Games, to read more about Team Ireland Triple Olympian Natalya Coyle Ready For Tokyo, click here.

#ModernPentathlon #Fencing  Round

Consistency is key. Experience, composure, calm under pressure. After ten rounds in the Women’s Individual Fencing Round Natalya Coyle is lying in fifth place with 184 points.

V – D
14 – 7

Seven rounds to go #TeamIreland #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/xlmD0RLNxd

— Team Ireland (@TeamIreland) August 5, 2021

Modern Pentathlon – Women’s Fencing Ranking Round

Coyle started poorly getting two loses in her first two bouts but picked herself up and won the next five. It is clear to see that fencing is something that the Meath woman focused on in preparation for these Games.

At the halfway stage of 18 bouts, the Irish woman had beaten her opponents 13 times. After this point, the athletes began to tire and this became a war of attrition.

As Coyle fought to keep up with the demanding fitness needed for the event, some of her performances suffered. She started losing every second match as she pushed herself hard for victory.

Coyle found another burst of energy when there was an end in sight two hours later as she won her last five bouts. She finished the round of matches with a total of 23 victories, showcasing her fencing talents.

These hard fought performances had gotten Coyle a joint third place finish at the end of the fencing Ranking Round with 238 MP points.

The only other athletes to better her were South Korea’s Sehee Kim and Germany’s Annika Schleu with a staggering 274 points.

Nothing is won yet and the ranking round in fencing does not express an athlete’s overall strengths. Coyle will need to rest and recuperate for the finals coming up tomorrow, knowing she has put in a tough shift this morning.

#ModernPentathlon

An impressive first round with the Women's Individual Fencing Ranking Round, Natalya Coyle is lying in joint third place going into day 2! A steady and determined performance sees the Meath woman score a total of 238 points!! #TeamIreland #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/UjdWQf0ecU

— Team Ireland (@TeamIreland) August 5, 2021

Upcoming Schedule for the Women’s Modern Pentathlon finals

The post Modern Pentathlon: Coyle fences into third in Ranking Round appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.