On the morning before Sheila Taormina left for the final modern pentathlon World Cup of her career, she stood at the starting line of a 10-kilometer race at Burns Park in Ann Arbor and yelled into a megaphone, reminding runners: “All right! Fifteen seconds! Have a good, safe race and enjoy!”A few minutes later, Taormina was at the finish line cheering on the participants in another race when she observed a group of youngsters picking up their pace.

“I love the sprint of the finish, when people give it 100%,” she said.

The observation could apply to Taormina’s career as well.

The Livonia native, already a three-time Olympian in swimming (1996) and women’s triathlon (2000 and 2004), is closing in on her attempt to qualify for her fourth consecutive Summer Games in her third sport — this time modern pentathlon.

And she seems to be in good position to make it.

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