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IRELAND’S show jumpers could be in medal contention at the London Olympics - if they qualify at this week's European Championships.

The championships, which begin tomorrow (Tuesday) in Madrid, represent the last chance for Ireland to qualify a team for the 2012 Olympic Games.

To make it to London, Ireland must finish in the top three of those countries not already qualified.

Team Ireland Equestrian’s show jumping manager Robert Splaine said today: "We have a tough job ahead of us. There are still very strong teams not qualified and I can see a huge battle emerging for the three remaining places. But we have been very, very successful all year in the Superleague and Ireland is again ranked fourth in the world at the highest level.

“Qualification for London all depends on our performance on the day in Madrid. If we get off to a good start, we have a good chance. And, if we qualify, we have a great chance of a medal in London next year."

Splaine's squad for the Europeans is a blend of youth and experience, and is headed by two men ranked amongst the world's top riders - Denis Lynch, on either ‘Lantinus’ or ‘All Inclusive NRW’, and Billy Twomey, riding 'Tinka's Serenade'.

Tipperary-born Lynch, now number six in the world, is the highest-ranked Irish rider, while Cork’s Billy Twomey is the world number 11, and both with huge experience of championship level jumping.

The surprise member of the team is championship newcomer Nicola FitzGibbon, who turns just 24 this week.

Riding her own ‘Puissance’, she wowed the crowd at this year's Dublin Horse Show, jumping a clear round in the Nations' Cup to help Ireland finish second and also produced a notable clear round in her Superleague debut at the Swedish Nations’ Cup in July.

Also on the five-strong squad are two overseas-based combinations - Shane Sweetnam (Amaretto Darco) and Niall Talbot (Nicos De La Cense).

From this squad, Splaine will select a final team of four to compete in the three rounds of the championships.

Explaining his selection protocols, Splaine said:

"I could have up to 12 riders on a long list for championships.

"Seven or eight would have a realistic chance of getting to a major championships, the highest level, the closest you get to an Olympics.
"What people must realise is, that when you talk about named riders, you must speak about a horse as well. A rider cannot go to a championships on his own. He has to ride a great horse. And if he does not have that horse at that particular time - even though he might be one of the greatest riders in the world - then he does not get selected."

The manager added: "Shane Sweetnam has been solid all year and his last team performance gave us a double clear in the Aga Khan in Dublin.

"Nicola has been solid on all of the few occasions she has lined out for us and Niall has been progressing the right way all year and was good at Rotterdam recently in both the Nations' Cup and the Grand Prix."

Nicola FitzGibbon said that she is "probably younger than most of the competitors" in Madrid, but the Dun Laoghaire born rider says she's "riding the horse of a lifetime right now", and believes that she's ready for the challenge.

She added: "A lot of the riders this year have had bad luck with their horses. There are a lot of injuries. There are rider injuries as well. Also, a lot of horses have been sold - that's a big problem.

"In the end, Robert Splaine would not have had a huge group to choose from. But the ones that he did have to choose from are really strong combinations.

"I think there is a really good team going to Madrid, and we will do really well. Bringing home a European medal would be a bonus, but our main job is to qualify for London."

To do that, the Irish must qualify for the Team Final on Friday, 16 September - and then finish in the top three of the nations not already qualified for the Olympics. The nations already qualified are Britain (hosts), Germany, Belgium and France.

Any Irish rider in the Top 25 after that will also qualify for the Individual Final, to be held on Sunday, 18 September.

Should we fail to qualify as a team, Ireland will not qualify any individuals for the Olympics at Madrid. Individual Olympic qualification will depend on a rider's rankings based on the best 30 results between 1 January 2011 and 1 March 2012.

We are allowed to qualify a maximum of two individuals for the Olympics, should we not qualify as a team at Madrid.

The Irish squad, in alphabetical order, is:

Nicola FitzGibbon; Puissance
Denis Lynch; Lantinus or All Inclusive NRW
Shane Sweetnam; Amaretto Darco
Niall Talbot; Nicos De La Cense
Billy Twomey; Tinka’s Serenade

ends

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A European Show Jumping Championships special highlights programme will be shown on RTE2 on Monday, 19 September at 8pm.

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Download biographical notes on the Irish team here


WATCH THE FEI EUROPEAN JUMPING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011 LIVE ON FEI TV

The FEI European Jumping Championships 2011, which will take place from Tuesday 13 to Sunday 18 September in Madrid (ESP), will be broadcast LIVE on FEI TV, the official FEI video platform, according to the following schedule:

Wednesday, 14 September 2011
14.00-15.45 - First Championship Competition
15.45-16.00 - Arena Maintenance Break
16.00-17.45 - First Championship Competition (continued)
17.45-18.00 - Arena Maintenance Break
18-00-19.45 - First Championship Competition (continued)

Thursday, 15 September 2011
14.00-15.45 - Second Championship Competition (first round)
15.45-16.00 - Arena Maintenance Break
16.00-17.45 - Second Championship Competition (continued)
17.45-18.00 - Arena Maintenance Break
18.00-19.45 - Second Championship Competition (continued)

Friday, 16 September 2011
16.30-17.54 - Second Championship Competition (second round)
17.54-18.09 - Arena Maintenance Break
18.09-19.30 - Second Championship Competition (continued)
19.30-19.45 - Prize-giving ceremony, team medals

Sunday, 18 September 2011
15.50-17.05 - Individual Final (Top 25)
17.05-18.00 - Arena Maintenance Break
18.00-19.15 - Individual Final (continued)
19.25-19.40 - Prize-giving ceremony, individual medals