Coyle and Sweetnam out of the medals

Daniel Coyle and Legacy in Versailles (Photos: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile)

Irish duo can hold their heads high as thoughts turn to Dublin

Daniel Coyle and Shane Sweetnam were unable to add to Team Ireland’s medal tally in today’s Individual Show Jumping Final as the exertions of the week, a demanding track that led to only three of the 30 finalists going clear, and in the case of Coyle’s equine partner Legacy, a lost shoe, took their toll.

The Irish duo can hold their heads high, having made the final after contributing to the Underwriting Exchange Irish Show Jumping Team’s seventh-place finish on Friday when within touching distance of a medal, as well as to a year of remarkable success for the Green Jackets.

Along the other member of the Underwriting Exchange Irish Show Jumping Team, Cian O’Connor, Coyle and Sweetnam are guaranteed a warm welcome home at next week’s Dublin Horse Show, where many of the human stars of the past week will also be competing, albeit not with their horses, who have earned very deserved rests.

The difficulty of today’s course at the Château de Versailles was felt by all bar the medallists, who had their positions decided in a jump-off with victory for German rider Christian Kukuk and Checker 47, the only pair to record a double clear on the day.

Silver went to 2012 champion, Steve Guerdat (SUI) and Dynamix de Belhelme, while Maikel van der Vleuten (NED) and Beauville Z repeated their bronze medal heroics of three years ago in Tokyo.

Starting with a 1.60m vertical, this was a long examination of 19 jumping efforts requiring power and scope. There was a significant technical effort too however, placing a premium on balance and nimbleness with some tight lines.

The time of 84 seconds did not cause a problem on paper but it did mean horse and rider had to remain on the front foot, thus increasing the potential for jumping error.

The fences dropped all over the course, claiming a host of high-profile victims. None of the top five from yesterday’s qualifiers made it to the jump-off and only fourth-ranked Guerdat, of the top dozen riders in the world, survived.

The victims included the 11^th ranked included Coyle, who entered the arena in 28^th, based on his third place finish in the qualifier. The 30-year-old from Ardmore, Co Derry and his 14-year-old mare Legacy, owned by Ariel Grange, were one of only three combinations to post a 100 per cent return of clear rounds from three outings prior to the final.

The duo have won World Cups and Nations Cups this year but the exertions of the week began to tell just at the end of today’s round, turning into the final line, by which stage Legacy had lost a shoe and her pilot a stirrup.

Legacy clipped the triple bar and after clocking up 12 more faults, Coyle, who had thankfully recovered from the food poisoning that troubled him prior on Saturday night, opted to retire with nothing left to play for.

“Show jumping is one of these sports that you just can’t jump clear every single round,” Coyle noted after his round.

“Unfortunately, we picked the worst day to not jump clear. But it’s the law of averages. But I’m still very proud of the way we’ve jumped three clear rounds all week. I’ll go away was my head held high for me, my horse owner, and everybody that supported me. I mean, I cannot thank them enough.

“This is a different game. My first Olympics, but it’s like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. And I know that that’s the word number one falling off today (Henrik von Eckermann), but a lot of the riders at the top of their game and the horses have been having fences down all week, and we’ve been jumping clear.

“So when you come to the last hurdle and it falls away, you’re also disappointed, but at the same time, I’m very, very happy and proud that I’ve came this far. It’s just the end of the week, we were all tired and there wasn’t much left to give.”

Shane Sweetnam and James Kann Cruz (ISH)

Sweetnam (43), competing in his second Olympics, is ranked just behind Coyle in 12^th on the world rankings and entered the arena immediately after his compatriot having been second-best of yesterday’s qualifiers.

The native of Castlemagner, Co Cork had excelled throughout the year along with the 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse, James Kann Cruz, bred in Galway by Patrick Connolly and owned by Gizmo Partners. They had registered a double clear in Ireland’s runner-up finish in Rome before repeating that in the course of the Nations’ triumph at Aachen at the beginning of July.

They came unstuck at the fifth and had two more rails down to finish with 12 faults and 22^nd place.

“He tried his best but I’d say the tank was a little bit empty after four big rounds in six days,” said Sweetnam. “He got a second wind and finished the course brilliantly. I’m very proud of him and our entire team. He’s done us proud and hopefully we’ll be back again in Los Angeles.

“The course was the biggest I’ve ever seen and 15 jumps (19 jumping efforts), which I’ve never seen before. The course designer obviously did a great job as there were just three people (in a jump-off) for the medals which is great sport and exactly what you’d expect in an Olympic final.

“It’s the ups and downs. I suppose that’s what Olympics is about. Yesterday was great. The team event, we were in it to last rider for a medal. To be knocking on the door and involved and in the hunt, it’s great. It’s great to be here and I will see if I’m back at the next one.”

BREEDING

CSF JAMES KANN CRUZ (ISH) – 2013 gelding by Kannan (KWPN) out of CSF Telly Cruz (ISH) by Cruising (ISH)[TIH]. Breeder: Patrick Connolly, Co Galway. Owner: Gizmo Partners, LLC. Rider: Shane Sweetnam (IRL).