Sailor Annalise Murphy has vowed to "battle away to the very end" in her quest to win a second Olympic medal.
The 2016 Rio silver medallist secured ninth and 10th place finishes in races 5 & 6 of the Laser Radial and now lies in 20th place overall.
With four races remaining Murphy will be hoping for more improvement to secure a top 10 spot and a place in the medal race.
After a tough opening two days it is an encouraging uptick for the Rathfarnham sailor, who admitted it has not been her week so far.
Wooo! A 10th in race 6 - these conditions are super tricky and we're going to see a LOT of movement on the leaderboard - Annalise sailed 2 great races today and if she keeps improving like this she’ll be well set for the last 4 races of the series! Now bedtime + full update later pic.twitter.com/YJ9XOYhLVd
— Annalise Murphy (@Annalise_Murphy) July 27, 2021
Speaking to RTÉ Sport, she said it was another difficult day on the water but she was happy to make good comebacks in both races and sail well - something she admitted she had been struggling to do in the opening two days.
"This is a day I normally wouldn't be happy with but I am pretty happy with it, all things considered, and looking forward to fighting to the end of the regatta," she said.
The Dubliner said she was "very nervous" before the start of the regatta, as she sought to emulate her Rio achievements, adding that she had "put a huge amount of pressure" on herself.
"I'm hoping today is my turnaround" - Annalise Murphy has moved up the Laser Radial rankings to 20th overall after races 5 and 6. The top 10 after 10 make the final.#olympics #tokyo2020 #RTESport
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 27, 2021
📺 Watch live - https://t.co/b2OI4OoWVJ
📱 Updates – https://t.co/eT5tYOLr9U pic.twitter.com/ycBcDVVkfk
"I wanted to come and win a medal. I felt ready but also wasn't really myself in the boat, and sailing was difficult.
"I think I'm going to keep on fighting. That's all I can do. My character is not to give up and just battle away to the very end.
"I'm hoping today is my turnaround for my bad racing."
With a rest day to come before the remaining races in the Laser Radial class, Murphy said she will be approaching each race individually.
"I think I just have to take it one race at a time - we're just over halfway though the regatta so I just need to sail really well and just try and enjoy it.
"It is sport at the end of the day and I think I was taking it as life or death the first couple of days."
