Ireland failed to secure one of the three Olympic qualifying spots on offer at the European show jumping championships in Rotterdam when finishing seventh after Friday’s final team competition.
Belgium, who too were seeking Olympic qualification, made their own bit of history when winning gold, their first ever medal at these championships. They finished on a score of 12.07 to see off Germany (16.22) with Britain claiming bronze (21.41) and the second slot for Tokyo ahead of France (25.39) who took the third.
Ireland will have a final opportunity to qualify for the 2020 Games at the Nations’ Cup final in Barcelona in October.
In Friday's team final, Cian O'Connor, who had provided the discard score in the first two rounds, got Ireland off to a great start when jumping clear with PSG Final. Shane Sweetnam had a single fence down with Alejandro, before Peter Moloney delivered a second clear with Chianti's Champion. Ireland's anchor rider, Darragh Kenny, finished with one fence down on Balou Du Reventon.
In the individual standings, which are still headed by Britain's Ben Maher with Explosion W (0.62), Moloney is in 13th place (8.75) while Kenny is lying 17th (9.78). The top 25 riders go through to Sunday's two-round final.
