ON an evening of high drama at the ECCO FEI World Show Jumping Championships in Herning, Denmark last Friday night, an outstanding performance from Michael Blake’s Irish Show Jumping team of Denis Lynch, Bertram Allen, Cian O’Connor and Daniel Coyle, saw them take one of the five coveted places on offer for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
At the end of one of the most thrilling nights in the history of the sport, Ireland climbed from overnight ninth place to finish fourth overall and take one of the five Olympic places on offer – and at the finish, missed out on the bronze medal by just one penalty.
Just the top 10 teams from the 22 that started the week made it through to the final under floodlights, with Ireland starting the evening in ninth place overall, carrying forward a score of 17.15 penalties from the first two rounds held on Wednesday and Thursday.
Tipperary’s Denis Lynch was first to jump for Michael Blake’s Ireland with his Rome Grand Prix winner ‘Brooklyn Heights’. The World No. 25 produced an excellent round, jumping clear over the fences, picking up just one time fault over what was proving a very difficult course.
Wexford’s Bertram Allen then gave Ireland another huge boost when he jumped an outstanding clear round with the Irish Sport Horse ‘Pacino Amiro’. Those rounds from Lynch and Allen moved Ireland up five places to fourth, with two riders left to jump for each of the 10 teams.
continued on page 78
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
