They’ve done it: three-man Irish team beats the odds to secure Olympic place
Darragh Kenny and Eddy Blue withdrew before tonight’s final but the team stood strong to qualify for LA28 Games
Team Ireland have booked their ticket to the Los Angeles Olympics with one horse and rider down, in a rollercoaster of an evening at the showjumping World Championships.
The team of Bertram Allen (Qonquest de Rigo), Darragh Kenny (Eddy Blue), Cian O’Connor (Chatolinue PS) and Shane Sweetnam (James Kann Cruz) had qualified in 10th place for tonight’s (21 August) team final. Then this afternoon, it was announced that Darragh and Eddy would not compete.
“After careful assessment this afternoon, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw Eddy Blue,” Darragh said.
“Whilst he is well and happy in himself, I noticed he was not feeling 100% when I rode him this morning. Following discussion with our team vet Marcus Swail and the whole Irish team, we agreed that protecting his long-term health and soundness must always come first.
“He is a special horse, and his wellbeing has always been, and will always be, my first priority.”
Ireland a man down at showjumping World Championships
First to go for the team, Bertram Allen was under pressure as the withdrawal meant all scores had to count. He and Qonquest De Rigo were flying but the first element of the tricky double fell for a score of four. There was heartbreak for Cian as the very last fence fell; at that point Ireland was ninth, and out of the qualifying places.
But Denmark’s Caroline Rehoff Pedersen and Polonis L had a fence, then Wilma McMahon and Cicci BJN had 16 for Sweden, moving Ireland up again.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Giacamo Casadei and Marbella Du Chabli clocked up eight faults for Italy, and Ireland moved up further. Shane Sweetnam and James Kann Kruz also had the first element of the double, but Andreas Schou and Napoli vh Nederassenthof’s eight for Italy, and Julien Epaillard and Fringan De Vesquerie’s eight for France, secured Ireland seventh place.
“It was a bit of a mistake on my side for that combination; honestly, there was a clear round right there,” said Shane. “But he jumped great.
“I suppose the most important thing is, we’re qualified for the Olympics. Especially with three men today, we really had to pull it out, and everyone did. At least that’s a big bonus, and let’s see what happens on Sunday.”
Pressure on
Cian said he was delighted with Chatolinue’s performance on such a tricky course, especially under the floodlights.
“He felt fantastic,” he said. “The triple combination, he jumped it like a gymnast, and the water comes so quickly after but he felt super. I thought I was doing well after the triple bar-vertical double; that was difficult for me, and I took my time going around, squared up, and the last three jumps he jumped really well.
“When I was coming to the last, he was getting a bit strong, and I could have just held on to his front end a bit more. He had a bare rub on the front pole of the last, so a bit of an unlucky rail, but I’m very pleased how he jumped.”
Cian also cited the pressure of being a man down, adding that the main goal was a place at the Olympics.
“For a country like Ireland, so rich in riders and with so much talent, hopefully that’ll give people good motivation at home, to know team Ireland is qualified for LA,” he said.
“Fellas with a good eight- or nine-year-old can bring the horse along and aim for that. Current or new owners might get involved in the game and give back to some of these top Irish riders we have with investment to try to peak and medal at the Olympic Games with the right horsepower underneath us.”
Cian added that the Olympics are very special to him.
“They’re close to my heart personally, as the only Irish Olympic showjumping medallist,” he said. “And LA will probably be my last Games.”
- To stay up to date with the latest equestrian news from the World Championships in Aachen, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website
Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.