THE Irish show jumping team exited the Toyko 2020 Olympic Games on Friday night following bad luck when the first rider out, Cork’s Shane Sweetnam, was sadly eliminated after a horse fall.

Sweetnam and the 12-year-old gelding Alejandro fell at fence nine after the horse got a fright when losing a shoe earlier in the course. Team vet Marcus Swail advised manager Michael Blake that the horse was “a bit stiff and sore” and would not be able to continue in the final should the team qualify.

Bertram Allen (Pacino Amiro) and Darragh Kenny (VDL Cartello) were then withdrawn from the competition, as Ireland had already lost Cian O’Connor and Kilkenny following their seventh-place finish individually and a nose bleed to the horse.

Speaking on RTÉ, team manager Michael Blake said: “Very tough evening. Shane tried his best, his horse lost a shoe on the way to the combination. Then the horse got a fright, he continued on but then it was all over for him. With the system with three horses and no drop score… and I have to reiterate that this is a system I was vehemently against in 2016 when they brought it in. I think it is a really bad system for horse welfare and by the end of this evening that will be proven.

“Shane, under normal circumstances would have had a drop score and would have been able to come out. He was forced to continue and you saw what happened and that is not what it is about. It is the same for everybody but it is something that may need to be looked at in the future. The horse was a bit sore so even if we were to qualify, he wouldn’t be able to take part again tomorrow.”

It was a disappointing end to the Games for the Irish team following a very promising individual final, O’Connor, Allen and Kenny all finishing inside the top 20. Full report from the show jumping at Tokyo on page 89 and 90.

Learnings for Corscadden

The eventing team manger Sally Corscadden landed home from Tokyo this week, where her team finished in eighth place overall and Austin O’Connor 13th individually.

She told The Irish Field the team would take “lots of learnings” from the Games, her first in charge. “We faced a lot of challenges, even getting there and with the weather in Aachen, it didn’t help our preparation as we had originally planned but we adapted and kept going.

“It is another level of intensity and pressure at the Olympics with the long build up, and that was something that they hadn’t all experienced. We were really happy once we got everyone to the Equestrian Park,” Corscadden continued. “Then we had an issue with Cathal Daniels’s horse [Rioghan Rua] and we unfortunately had to withdraw her, which was a big blow for Cathal and connections. If she has been her usual self, I imagine she would have skipped around with no bother.”

The team got off to a tough start with the dressage. “It was disappointing from a dressage point of view. Tracy [Robinson, coach] worked so hard and it just didn’t come off in the ring. With that test, it is so technical and so short, mistakes are really punished. That was disappointing for riders themselves after all the work they put in.

“The weather was very challenging, there was a lot of heat and humidity on cross-country day and with that extra delay at the end of the day, it was very hot when Sarah [Ennis] went out. I am not making excuses but Woodcourt Garrison wasn’t his usual self, he was feeling the effects and he wasn’t listening to her instructions.

“Everybody tried their best, gave 100%, and we always tried to stay positive and support each other. Marcus Swail, Davide Focarde and Nigel Perrott worked so hard, with the support of grooms, to have the horses in best shape.”

Corscadden added that Austin O’Connor’s individual performance was hugely positive. “We brought Austin because we knew he was strong on jumping phases. It spurred him on once he had to go and he was really positive and focused.

“Overall, it was small things, not massive mistakes, but you can’t afford to make them at an Olympic Games.”

Corscadden now looks forward to Aachen, the European Championships and Boekolo which, she says, “will be a great opportunity to give other riders a chance at champion level.” (See pages 86-88 for full eventing reports from Tokyo.)

Elsewhere, there was heartbreak for Co Meath modern penthalon athlete Natalya Coyle who dropped from fourth place before show jumping to out of contention when her horse wouldn’t cooperate. She eventually finished in 24th place. Full report next week.