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Pentathlon Ireland's High Performance atheltes completed their first combined run/shoot training session in their new home today. The trio of athletes who are all targeting London 2012 Olympic qualification were excited to use their new training centre for the first time. They were joined by Gary Keegan and Phil Moore from the Irish Institute of Sport who had a look around Ireland's newest High Performance centre before having a go with the laser pistols.
Performance Director, Lindsey Weedon, took time to share her thoughts on the aquistion of the Pentathlon Barn. Pentathlon changed the format of the sport after the last Olympic, bringing the shooting and running together for a combined event - similar to that of winter biathlon. It's been an exciting development for the sport but been a headache for our athletes. Being able to conduct quality training sessions has been a major problem. The shooting ranges we use are either up or downstairs making it impossible to combine with running training. Morton stadium has been a temporary home but it's never been permenant and equipment was constantly getting damaged in transporting it to and from venues. Having access to the 'Pentathlon Barn' means we can now complete some quality run/shoot training sessions which will make a massive difference as the athletes prepare for the final qualification push.
It was funny, I invited Gary and Phil to the training session but giving them a tour really didn't take too long. In reality it's just a big shed but it represents far far more than that. For our athletes, it's a new home and a place where they can train without distractions. We're really excited about the future of the Pentathlon Barn as a High Performance Centre. We have exciting plans to fit it out with a fully equiped shooting range and a purpose designed fencing hall which will be the first in the Irish Republic. This will take a bit of time as we need to raise some funds first but thanks to National Sports Campus Development Authority the building blocks are there.
Natalya Coyle leads the Irish Olympic qualification with an Olympic ranking of 23rd. Arthur Lanigan-O'Keeffe and Eanna Bailey are ranked 35th and 68th respectively. With six competitions between March and May, the athletes are chasing more ranking points to ensure they will be in London come August.
Follow the athletes in their journey to London:
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