IRELAND's search for an Olympic show jumping medal seems destined to stretch into infinity as fourth place at the halfway stage in yesterday's team decider and the hope of leapfrogging up onto the medal podium was cruelly snatched when the Irish challenge faded back into a devastating eighth place finish.

The drama had opened with a thrilling first act when Irish trail blazer Peter Charles notched up the first clear round of the day with Benetton, the grey that had been on the easy list after injuring a foot last week and which disappointed with three fences down in Monday's individual qualifier. But Charles, magician that he is, conjured up the best from the Belgian bred grey to put Ireland up on the leader board at the first available opportunity.

The gilt on the gingerbread took on a slight tarnish when Jessica Chesney collected four faults at the water when the giant Diamond Exchange took charge of the situation and took off a stride early. The Irish number two's score jumped to eight when the back rail came off the bogey Hawaiian bamboo double just one fence from home and .5 of a time fault left Chesney bitterly disappointed on 8.5.

The situation began to look grim when Irish freshman Damian Gardiner and the stallion Arthos entered the nightmare realm for a cricket score of 28.5 after a stop at the third and mistakes at six other fences. But Irish hearts were lightened just as the skies got darker when Eddie Macken, wonderfully solid as team captain for so many years, came home with just four on Schalkhaar only moments before the heavens opened and the competition was brought to an abrupt halt with the Irish leading the 19 nation pack.

The the arena was instantly transformed into a lake as flash flooding threatened to bring the Nations Cup style event to a premature close, but the torrential rain vanished as quickly as it had struck and the superb drainage system allowed the jumping to restart just 95 minutes later.

At the halfway stage, Ireland had slid down to fourth on 12.5, but well in touch and all set to challenge for the medals in the second round. Germany, despite the loss of world champion Franke Sloothaak who had to retire after a fall, were looking unassailable on .75, with the Brazilians second on 4.5 and America third on eight.

But the pressure piled on after the shortened lunch break and cracks began to appear in the Irish armour. Charles and Benetton returned with a four at the Mount Rushmore wall and, incredibly, Chesney and Diamond Exchange produced a carbon copy, even to the extent of sliding off the same blue brick.

When Gardiner and Arthos fell foul of the same coping and then hit three more fences, the writing was on a different kind of wall and Ireland's medal hopes were out of the window. The French had already gone ahead, the Spanish were threatening and all Eddie Macken could do was salvage some Irish pride from a worsening situation.

But Macken wasn't even allowed that. To the disbelief off the Irish supporters, Schalkhaar put in a lightning stop at the liverpool when his fly fringe slipped down over his eyes and, in spite of masterly riding from the Longford born jockey, hit two in the last line to bring the Irish crashing down to eighth. The only consolation for the desolate Irish chef d'equipe Colonel Ned Campion was that Charles, Chesney and Macken have all qualified for Sunday's individual final for which the slates are wiped clean.

The other medal contenders were also juggling with the places, but a stunning double clear from defending individual champion Ludger Beerbaum clinched team gold for Germany on a superb finishing total of 1.75, a long way clear of the Americans who overhauled Brazil for the silver.

Meanwhile, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) is continuing its investigation into allegations of illegal training methods by the Argentinian Olympic team and the matter has now been handed over to the FEI's judicial committee, the body empowered to impose sanctions for transgressions of international rules.

"We feel that there is enough evidence for us to continue with the inquiry," Professor Vittorio de Sanctis, head of the Olympic appeal committee, said yesterday, abut we are handing the matter over to the FEI judicial committee. There probably won't be a decision until after the Games but, if the allegations are proved, it wouldn't just mean the disqualification of the Argentinian Olympic team, but the disqualification of Argentina from all international competition for a very long time.

The two photographs taken by Baumann show a pole studded with upturned nails and a wire stretched across a second fence, 20cms above the top rail. It is alleged by Baumann that he saw the Argentinians schooling over these fences to make their horses jump more cleanly.