WHAT a conclusion it was to the FEI Jumping European Championship for Children, Juniors and Young Riders at Hagen in Germany on Sunday afternoon, when Waterford’s Jack Kent claimed the gold medal in the Junior (U18) individual championship riding the 12-year-old gelding Ollie van de Klotputten.

The pair finished on their score from the first competition, 2.33 - calculated from the time difference between them and the winner of that class. Sunday’s final was crucial, as they were in fifth place overnight, but jumped an incredible double clear under pressure to move up to first.

In fact, they kept all the poles in place throughout five rounds of jumping over challenging 1.40m tracks.

This is not Kent’s first time to stand on top of the European Youth Show Jumping Championship podium, as he previously claimed the pony title at the European Championships at Opglabbeek in The Netherlands in 2024.

Surreal

Following his latest win, a delighted Jack Kent told The Irish Field: “It still feels surreal to have won Junior individual gold! We had an amazing week - I never expected to be coming home with the gold medal. We were hoping for a team medal, but Ollie just kept getting better and better as the week went on.

“Ger (O’Neill) kept me focused and my mind on the job, not letting me get too caught up in it all.”

When asked about his preparation for these championships, Jack said: “The Europeans were the goal of the year - we’ve been working towards it all year, making sure everything was right going into it. There were a couple of classes during the year that I wanted to win, but Ger’s plan for us was to just aim for the clear rounds at the shows at home and abroad to keep him [the horse] saved for this week - it paid off, thankfully!”

Gratitude

Jack was keen to express his gratitude to those who have helped along the way to this win, saying: “I have to say a lot of thanks to Ger for everything he has done for me - he’s the best to have in your corner - and to Jason Foley and Jason Higgins for their help and advice, my groom Jasmine Sarhane and the rest of the team at Castlefield.

Thanks also to Darragh McCarthy and the Crowley family for trusting me with this brilliant horse, Horse Sport Ireland and our chef d’equipe Denis Flannelly, Liz Brennan and team vet Seamus McSorley and, of course, my parents and family. They’ve been my biggest supporters from the very start, with me every step of the way.”

Massive achievement

In conclusion, Jack said: “It’s been amazing, the messages of congratulations from everyone at home. The phone hasn’t stopped! It’s another massive achievement for Castlefield and Ger. I won pony individual gold in 2024, Seamus Hughes Kennedy won Young Rider individual gold in 2023, Jason [Foley] won Junior individual gold in 2018 - Ger just keeps having us winning championships. It’s a great team to be part of! I just can’t believe it all actually happened! It’s a brilliant feeling.”

That was not the end of Ireland’s medals though, as Tipperary’s Tom Wachman took the silver medal in the Young Rider (U21) individual final and the Young Rider team also secured the silver.