MODERN PENTATHLON: Today is Marina Carrier’s day to shine and enjoy being a Modern Pentathlon Olympian. The 24-year-old has dreamt of this day, and worked so hard, for years and years.
Carrier got her competition off to a strong start yesterday in the Fencing Ranking Round with 18 victories and 17 defeats. She is ranked 17th of the 36 athletes on 208 points. Anything over 200 points would have been considered a strong start for the Australian.
Carrier was pleased with her fencing and to get her campaign underway.
“I had so much fun, so much fun. Every time I went out there, this is my dream, it was my dream to be here and every second I enjoyed it. I loved it, had a great time,” Carrier said after the Fencing Ranking Round.
“I’m really stoked with that result. I went out there and my goal was just to be in the moment, to have fun and come out the blocks flying and I felt like I did exactly that.”
Competition now moves to the Tokyo Stadium, which has been transformed since the Rugby Sevens, with this being the first Olympics where all disciplines are held in the same venue.
The Australian is drawn in heat 2 of the 200m freestyle at 3.35pm AEST, with six heats racing in the 25 metre pool.
The Fencing Bonus Round then commences at 4.45pm, followed by the Show Jumping at 6.15pm. Athletes only get 20 minutes to familiarise themselves with their horse. “It’s like speed dating’. This is the discipline that could be provide the biggest challenge for Carrier.
The competition then concludes with the Laser-Run at 8.30pm to decide the medals and final placings. The athletes who are leading at this point will start first and athletes then start on a time handicap based on their points. Expect Carrier to pick up several positions in this her strongest discipline. At Rio 2016, Chloe Esposito started 45 seconds back in seventh place before famously producing a sensational shoot and run to win the gold in an Olympic record.
The heat will be a factor for the athletes in Tokyo, with the forecast of 32 degrees mid-afternoon and high humidity. Quite the change from Canberra in winter where Marina has been doing her final preparations.
Carrier becomes the fifth Australian female modern pentathlon Olympian after the women’s event was introduced at Sydney 2000.
Andrew Reid