EXPECTATION was the buzzword amongst the Irish competitors at the Deodoro Olympic Equestrian Centre these past two weeks and there is no doubt that many people’s hopes of a Rio storybook finish rested with Greg Broderick and MHS Going Global.

The entire story has been dogged by controversy and debate since Ireland failed to qualify a team at last year’s European Championships in Aachen, followed by a contentious selection process, before the pair left for Brazil. And it ended after another day of high drama and tension in the second show jumping qualifier on Tuesday, when the pair added five faults to their eight faults carried forward from Sunday’s opening qualifier.