Britain's three-day event riders travelled to the European championship in Luhmuhlen with the express aim of qualifying for next year's Olympic Games in Sydney. They achieved that goal in the best way possible when Pippa Funnell took the individual title and led her compatriots to the team gold, winning by an incredible 98 points from host nation Germany.
The Belgians, also bidding for a place on the Olympic startlist, claimed their first ever championship medal when taking the bronze.
Funnell and the Irish-bred Supreme Rock had taken charge from the outset and held their advantage with a sensational clear on Saturday's cross-country course to hold the overnight lead by 11 points from Sweden's Linda Algotsson. The Surrey rider's winning margin was eroded by an error at the fifth on yesterday's 12-fence show jumping track, but it wasn't enough to depose Funnell, who became the first rider to win both a young rider and senior European title.
The Swedes, who were in overnight second after an exhibition of gutsy cross-country riding on Saturday, lost out on a team medal when Sara Algotsson was forced to withdraw 13th-placed Robin des Bois yesterday morning. But they gained ample compensation when the older of the Algotsson sisters, 27-year-old Linda, claimed the individual silver with Stand By Me and Paula Tornqvist added a European bronze to the world bronze she won last autumn with the Irish-bred SAS Monaghan.
Tornqvist, an SAS airline pilot who only started riding in 1990, overhauled Didier Courreges for the bronze after the Frenchman hit two fences. This was the second disappointment of the day for the French as the team had earlier dropped out of contention for the medals when Marie-Christine Duroy's stallion Summer Song failed the final horse inspection yesterday morning.
The Irish team also failed to record a finishing score. Austin O'Connor, number four on the team, pulled up his Badminton runner Simply Rhett after the mare ran out when taking the long route at the VW complex four from home. That left the Irish in 11th overnight, but when trailblazer Virginia McGrath withdrew an obviously sore Yellow Earl before yesterday's horse inspection, the Irish team were out.
It was far from entirely depressing news, however, with superb performances from the three least experienced combinations, giving great hope of Ireland breaking its Olympic medal duck in Sydney next summer. Team manager Helen Cantillon, thrilled to see three of her charges in the top 20, said afterwards: "I think the selectors made the right choices by putting the experienced ones on the team, but at least we now know that we have some serious prospects for Sydney."
Sasha Harrison, making her senior championship debut as an individual but with a European young rider team gold already under her belt from 1995, produced a wonderful cross-country clear from All Love du Fenaud for overnight 17th. The French-bred gelding, sore after hitting a post only yards from the final fence, was sufficiently well recovered to be passed sound yesterday morning and the afternoon's show jumping saw the pair leap up the placings to 13th overall.
Nicola Cassidy, another senior championship first-timer, was also clear across the country on Saturday and then repeated that performance in the show jumping arena with the talented Mr Mullins. They ended the day in 18th, one slot ahead of Jane O'Flynn and Kilnadeema Star.
