EQUESTRIAN/European Championships: Olympic qualification was the goal and Ireland's show jumpers shot square into the back of the net yesterday, but the bronze medal that had dangled temptingly close three-quarters of the way through the team decider was rudely snatched away as the Irish dropped back to fifth at the finish.

"I was hoping at the halfway stage that we'd creep into third, but it just slipped away," team manager Tommy Wade said after a marathon day of jumping. "The most important thing is that we're qualified for the Olympics now. It was a tough enough road, but that's what we came here to do."

It was a consolation prize, but a welcome one and more than was granted to the British, who slumped to ninth and out of next year's Games.

But there was individual consolation, too, for Kevin Babington, the sole survivor of Ireland's 2001 gold medal team in Arnhem, whose double clear yesterday earned him €10,500 in prizemoney and fourth in the overall rankings to leave him in contention for an individual medal in tomorrow's top-25 final.

US-based Babington had played for safety in Thursday's speed leg, but it more than paid off yesterday as the 12-year-old Carling King was one of just two horses faultless throughout.

The other rider to produce a double clear was 21-year-old Steve Guerdat, whose zero tally not only put him second overall behind Germany's Marcus Ehning, but also boosted his Swiss compatriots up into team bronze.

There was never any doubt where the gold would go. The Germans had established themselves at the head of affairs during Thursday's speed leg and, although the French gave great chase in the first round yesterday with three clears to match the German zero tally, they flattered to deceive.

Having lifted team gold at last year's world games, the French were keen to add the European crown to their haul. But the clears deserted them in the second round yesterday, and even a four-faulter from German number three Otto Becker was enough to clinch the title for the home side before team captain Ludger Beerbaum had jumped.

In an ordinary Nations Cup, Beerbaum would have rested on his laurels and accepted the plaudits without returning to the fray. But there are still the individual honours to be decided here and the defending champion needed a clear to take over the top slot left vacant by the departure of overnight leader Thomas Velin, who hit three in the first round. But Goldfever, foot-perfect in the first round, connected with the triple bar three from home to leave Beerbaum 10th going into tomorrow's individual final.

Switzerland occupy the next two places, with Steve Guerdat just shading compatriot Beat Mandli, who is only fractionally ahead of Babington. But although Cian O'Connor, 17th, and Robert Splaine, 20th, also made the cut, they are too far off the pace to challenge for medals and are unlikely to jump tomorrow, preferring to preserve their horsepower for next Friday's important Super League round in Rotterdam.