Ireland’s show jumping team has secured qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games after finishing seventh in the team final at the FEI World Championships in Aachen on Friday evening.

The result secures one of seven available Olympic team quota places from the World Championships, alongside Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Italy, Switzerland and France. The United States had already qualified as host nation.

Friday's final round brought the added challenge of jumping under lights, adding another dimension to the occasion. With eight double clear rounds recorded, the competition tightened significantly and pressure mounted as the battle for medals came into focus.

Irish chef d’equipe Jessica Kurten said: “I’m absolutely delighted that we’ve made qualification for the Olympics in LA in 2028. It was really exciting sport all week and we had to fight to get into the final, then came the the bad news that we needed to go without Eddy Blue in the final tonight.

“That hit us very hard but in true Irish style, everybody pulled together and gave it their absolute best shot to earn us the qualification. I think when we’re very realistic, we have to be delighted that we’re going to Los Angeles.”

The 10 nations that survived Thursday’s first-round cut returned in reverse order for the team medal decider, carrying their cumulative scores into a night where every penalty mattered. Ireland missed the first rotation with Darragh Kenny no longer competing, so it was Bertram Allen and the 10-year-old gelding Qonquest de Rigo, owned by Aloga Stables, who got Ireland’s campaign underway. They picked up four faults at the triple bar in an otherwise excellent round.

The degree of difficult around Frank Rothenberger (GER) 14-obstacle, 17-effort track was increased significantly and it showed throughout the night with plenty of movement. There were four retirements alone in the first 20 riders in a course where the first fence fell many times. In the end 14 combinations produced clear rounds.

Cian O’Connor was next to go with the Karlswood Partners-owned Chatolinue PS and the 13-year-old gelding never looked like touching a pole only for the unluckiest fault at the last. “He felt fantastic,” O’Connor said afterwards.

“The triple combination, he jumped it like a gymnast, and the water comes so quickly after but he felt super. I thought I was doing well after the triple bar-vertical double; that was difficult for me, and I took my time going around, squared up, and the last three jumps he jumped really well. He had a bare rub on the front pole of the last, so a bit of an unlucky rail, but I’m very pleased how he jumped.”

Shane Sweetnam was the anchor rider with James Kann Cruz (Kannan x Cruising), bred by Patrick Connolly and owned by Gizmo Partners LLC, and an added stride to the triple bar going into the double proved costly for him.

“It was a bit of a mistake on my side for that combination; honestly, there was a clear round right there. But he jumped great,” said Sweetnam. “I suppose the most important thing is, we’re qualified for the Olympics. Especially with three men today, we really had to pull it out, and everyone did.”

Some 20 years after Germany claimed Team bronze at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, they returned to the same venue and this time the gold was coming home. Germany entered with the advantage and immediately strengthened their position.

The hosts maintained their advantage throughout the competition and had already secured gold before their fourth rider, Richard Vogel and United Touch S, entered the arena for the second round. Belgium took silver on 11.69 penalties, while Great Britain secured bronze on 12.98 penalties.