Show Jumping High Performance Director Michael Blake has chosen to nominate Daniel Coyle with Legacy, Cian O’Connor with Maurice, and Shane Sweetnam with the Irish Sport Horse James Kann Cruz for the Games, which will take place in late July. The P Alternate Athlete/Horse combination will be Bertram Allen with the Irish Sport Horse Pacino Amiro, marking their second Olympic appearance. Reserve combinations are also listed below.
Michael Blake expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “It is the greatest honour for an athlete to be chosen to represent their country at an Olympic Games and I’m delighted to have chosen these athletes for consideration for Paris. We are enjoying an excellent period of Irish jumping at the moment, and it is testament to the riders and all of their teams who look after the horses at home and when they compete, that they have all reached such a high level. The athletes and horses I have chosen have been performing brilliantly, week-in-week-out, on the international stage, and we’ll give it everything we have to achieve what we’re setting out to do. I would like to thank the Olympic Federation of Ireland, Sport Ireland, Horse Sport Ireland, and everyone involved in show jumping in Ireland for their support and I hope we’ll do everyone proud.”
The following combinations have been selected as non-travelling reserves:
- Denis Lynch (Co. Tipperary) with Brooklyn Heights, owned by Molly Ohrstrom
- Mark McAuley (Co. Louth) with GRS Lady Amaro (ISH), owned by SNC McAuley Equestrian
Team Ireland looks forward to showcasing their talent and hard work on the Olympic stage in Paris.