A FLAWLESS jumping performance at last weekend’s FEI Jumping European Championship for Ponies 2025 held in Le Mans, France, saw another individual gold medal go the way of Ireland - this time to Co Sligo’s 15-year-old Cian McMunn and just two days after the team had won the silver medal behind Britain.

Twenty-six combinations representing 10 nations came forward to contest the individual final which was run over two rounds with fences standing at 1.35m. Carrying forward their scores from the team competition, combinations had already faced three rounds of jumping over 1.30m tracks earlier in the week and started the individual final in reverse order of standings.

Such was the standard of competition and calibre of athlete that seven combinations came into the individual final with clean sheets having remained faultless over the first three rounds of competition. Three of these athletes were representing Ireland, three for Britain and one for Belgium.

French course designer Cédric Longis set a true championship test for the opening round with his track featuring an airy wall at fence one, a narrow style at fence three, a combination comprising a triple bar on two strides to a vertical and one stride to an oxer and a hugely influential line of a 1.35m oxer over a water tray set on a short seven-stride distance to the open water and an eight-stride related distance to a vertical-oxer double.

Many faulted at the water, having failed to rebalance and generate enough impulsion to clear the tape, or at the double that followed it having carried too much momentum forward.

Twentieth into the arena, it was Britain’s double team gold medallist Sophia Rogers aboard the British-bred Neil 55 who answered all of Longis’ questions to produce the first clear round. The first of the athletes coming in on a score of zero, she set the standard for the remaining six combinations. Only two more athletes could match her as fellow British team mate Darcy Breen, daughter of Irish international show jumper Shane Breen, and Cian McMunn delivered the only other clears in round one.

Jump-off for medals

Twenty combinations returned to face round two, a completely new 1.35m track featuring three doubles, which included a one-strided double of verticals with a delicate plank at part A and a two-strided double of oxers. Six combinations returned clean sheets this time round but, critically, only two of those came from athletes still on a zero score. Producing their fifth faultless round of the championships, Darcy Breen and Cian McMunn had guaranteed themselves at least a silver medal, but once again a jump-off was required to split Britain and Ireland. An identical battle transpired to decide the bronze medal, as Ireland’s Charlie Flynn and Britain’s Sophia Rogers had both lowered just one fence apiece in the individual final. Charlie was first to jump-off and set a blistering standard with HK Zena to leave all the fences intact and stop the clock in 38.76 seconds. Sophia set sail producing another clear round, albeit in a fractionally slower time of 39.41 to miss out on the podium whilst Charlie Flynn secured the individual bronze medal.

Cian McMunn opened proceedings in the battle for gold with a slick round in 39.25 seconds to produce his sixth flawless round of the Championships with the French-bred Esperando SK to lay down the gauntlet for Darcy Breen. With nothing to lose and knowing she could trust her game mare implicitly, Darcy set off at speed but when the first part of the double fell, the results were decided and this time it was Britain who had to settle for silver and Ireland took gold. It was the greatest form of redemption for Cian McMunn, who missed out on Ireland’s team medal having been selected as their individual athlete.

Gracious

Cian was understandably delighted to be crowned Individual FEI Jumping European Champion and remained incredibly humble and gracious of his place on the squad. When asked if he was frustrated to have not got a place on the team, he responded: “It was my chef d’equipe’s own decision so I really couldn’t do much about it but I trusted him… I’m not frustrated at all. This is amazing.”

Irish chef d’equipe Denis Flannelly was full of praise for his athletes and the support team around them: “This is just incredible – Cian and Charlie have jumped spectacularly well all week and, when the pressure was really on, they showed how much it meant to them, keeping their composure and jumping two quick, clear rounds.

“They are both fantastic young men and deserve every success – I’m so proud of them. It was a great achievement to win silver here on Friday as a team and I think, secretly, the two lads had that extra bit of determination to not let being beaten in a jump-off happen again. They’ve produced the goods and guaranteed gold and bronze medals, it’s amazing.

Team final

Replicating their performances from 2024, Great Britain secured team gold in Le Mans on Friday afternoon in a jump-off against Ireland who eventually took the team silver.

The team competition was a nail-biting affair that saw the two teams forced into a jump-off, as after three rounds of jumping to decide the team medals, both nations remained on a score of zero. Tensions were high as Britain’s quartet of Hollie Gerken (Galaxy V), Darcy Breen (One Saharah), Nellie Lock (Catho Van De Langvelden Z) and Sophia Rogers (Neil 55) went head-to-head with Ruben Foley (Wineport Q Junior), Sam Widger (Western Ranger), Charlie Flynn (HK Zena) and Lily Tunney (Fireman) in a dramatic finish, which went down to the wire with the medals decided by the last athlete out on track.

Ruben Foley opened the jump-off with a quick clear round in 40.24 seconds. Hollie Gerken, a member of Britain’s gold medal-winning team in 2024, looked to have locked in a perfect start for Britain as she stopped the clock in 39.79 seconds, but the final fence fell. Sam Widger delivered a sensational clear in 39.69 to maintain the advantage for Ireland but Darcy Breen responded with another quick clear in 40.59 to keep the pressure on.

Third out for Ireland, Charlie Flynn lowered a fence in 42.24 giving Great Britain a chance to level up the scores. Nellie Lock sacrificed speed for accuracy to secure a crucial second clear in a steadier time of 44.21 piling the pressure on Ireland’s anchorman Lily Tunney. Tunney delivered another fast round in 40.82 but critically the plank fell, leaving Britain knowing that a clear round from their final athlete would secure gold.

With a team gold medal from 2024 already on her mantelpiece, Sophia Rogers knew exactly what she had to do to clinch the title for her team once again. Disregarding the clock and the inevitable pressure, she delivered a cool and calm clear in 46.39 to secure gold for Great Britain.

Sterling performances

Ireland had to settle for silver despite a series of sterling performances whilst Belgium’s team of Clémentine Lux (Eoghan De Seguret), Elise Thirion (Dance Floor Du Cauroy), Niels Van Rossem (Tesla Van Het Klavertje) and Robin Vermeir (Kristal Sparkle Van Begeveld) took the Bronze medal with a team score of just four faults over the three rounds of jumping.

Flannelly commented: “They were absolutely brilliant – I can’t speak any higher of this team. We have been all around Europe this year and been having great results in Nations Cups, but championships bring their own level of pressure and they all handled it brilliantly.

“From the very beginning, we have been clear here which is an incredible achievement. To finish a championship on a zero score shows the level of rider and the level of pony we have within our ranks, and I couldn’t be any prouder. There is a sense of disappointment and ‘what could have been’ for the riders but they have done their country extremely proud.

“We know how difficult a team jump-off is and they were superb again, but today it just didn’t go our way. To win silver is fantastic.”