Galway’s Olympic hopeful aims to conquer the world – from her own back garden

Making it to the Olympics in one sport would be the achievement of a lifetime – but imagine if your chosen discipline meant excelling at five events that range from swimming to shooting to show jumping.

That said, Galway’s Modern Pentathlon hopeful Sive Brassil isn’t one for the easy route – and now she’s within touching distance of being on the plane for Tokyo this summer.

The Ballinasloe woman is aiming to qualify a second Modern Pentathlon spot for Ireland, having amassed ranking points through 2019 and 2020 events.

In 2016, Brassil was a sparring partner for Natalya Coyle in Rio, as part of the wider team, and is aiming to make her competition debut in Tokyo.

Her hopes received a significant book last week when she was named as one of the recipients of the ‘Make A Difference’ programme, a €50,000 fund run by the Olympic Federation of Ireland, in conjunction with official sponsor FBD Insurance, to assist Ireland’s Olympic hopefuls in their preparation for the Games.

This fund will assist her in heat acclimatisation, training camps and travel throughout the qualification period.

Travel has been the last thing on her mind over the past year, because Covid has left her confined to her parents’ home near Ballinasloe since the shutdown.

So Sive has had to improvise to keep alive her dream alive – no mean feat when your sport involves running, swimming, show jumping, fencing and shooting.

“Obviously I can’t do any horse riding and I have no access to a swimming pool,” she explained recently.

But she did manage to convert part of the back garden into a shooting range – a very hi-tech one, so there is no need to fret over stray pellets hitting the wrong target.

Due to a change in regulations, competitors in the Modern Pentathlon no longer shoot pellets from an air pistol. Instead they use a laser gun which emits a beep and a light and the target is battery powered.

“I have been able to set up this equipment so it’s as good as taking part in a competition. I can also practice fencing on my own and do running and strength and conditioning work,” she explained.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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