GOLD MEDAL FOR IRELAND AT EUROPEAN SHOW JUMPING CHAMPIONSHIPS - June 2001 - Equiworld

GOLD MEDAL FOR IRELAND AT EUROPEAN SHOW JUMPING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Today (Friday June 29) the Irish team took the Gold Medal in the final of the Senior European Show Jumping Championships at Arnhem, in the Netherlands.

Pitted against the very best in the world, the Irish team of Jessica Kurten, Peter Charles, Dermott Lennon and Kevin Babington, lying second after yesterday's opening competition, overtook the German team to snatch the Gold Medal this afternoon in a two-round competition.

The European Championships are second in stature only to the Olympics in the team event, and occur every two years.

Last year Ireland made the show jumping history books by taking the Samsung Nations Cup Series for the first time ever, and today added to these laurels by winning the European Gold for the first time. The last medal won by Ireland in the Senior European Team Championships was a Bronze in 1979.

SENIOR EUROPEAN SHOW JUMPING CHAMPIONSHIPS, ARNHEM,
NETHERLANDS JUNE 27 - JULY 1

FINAL - FRIDAY JUNE 29, 2001

1) IRELAND 34.04 penalties (GOLD)
Kevin Babington: CARLING KING - Faults 4/17
Jessica Kurten: BONITA 38 - Faults 4/4
Peter Charles: TRAXDATA CORRADA -Faults 11/4
Dermott Lennon: LISCALGOT - Faults 4/0

2) SWEDEN 35.19 penalties (SILVER)
3) GERMANY 41.75 penalties (BRONZE)
4) NETHERLANDS 47.81 penalties
5) BELGIUM 48.53 penalties

A total of 14 nations took part in the Championships.