McMunn wins European Pony Jumping gold as Flynn lands bronze on day of days

Ireland has a new European champion after Cian McMunn led home a 1-3 in green jackets at the FEI Jumping Championships for Ponies in Le Mans this afternoon with Esperando SK.

McMunn took gold and Charlie Flynn the bronze medal with HK Zena on a hugely dramatic afternoon in Le Mans which saw four riders in a jump-off for the three medals.

After five thrilling days of top-class jumping in which Ireland secured a team silver after being pipped in a jump-off by the British, it all came down to the final four combinations to decide who would win gold, silver and bronze.

McMunn and Daisy Breen, who is the daughter of Irish senior star Shane Breen, were the only two to remain clear since Wednesday, and it came down to speed and precision here to decide the champion.

McMunn was first to jump and was flawless on Esperando SK in a time of 39.25, meaning Breen would need to be quick and clear. When she dropped a pole halfway through her round, it meant McMunn was European Pony Champion.

Before that, Flynn and Sophia Rogers, themselves the only two riders to only have four faults for the week, went head-to-head to decide the bronze medal.

Flynn was first of the four back into the arena with HK Zena and he went out hard, jumping clear in a time of 38.76 seconds and really putting it up to his competitor.

Rogers, with pressure on, had no option but to follow Flynn’s lead and go out with pace in abundance. She flew home to the last but couldn’t match the Irish teen’s time and finished clear in 39.41 seconds, meaning Flynn was bronze medallist.

To cap off the result, Lily Tunney and Fireman finished fifth individually on a total of eight faults overall after having just one pole down in each round this afternoon.

It marks a remarkable week for the Irish jumpers after their silver win on Friday and rounds off a magnificent campaign for the new management team of Horse Sport Ireland Youth Show Jumping Lead Consultant Flannelly and Youth Athlete Liaison Liz Brennan.

Flannelly said: “This is just incredible – Cian and Charlie have jumped spectacularly well all week and when the pressure was really on they showed how much it meant to them, keeping their composure and jumping two quick, clear rounds.

“They are both fantastic young men and deserve every success – I’m so proud of them. It was a great achievement to win silver here on Friday as a team and I think, secretly, the two lads had that extra bit of determination to not let being beaten in a jump-off happen again. They’ve produced the goods and guaranteed gold and bronze medals, it’s amazing.

“We’ve had a superb campaign this year, and it’s all down to our support staff on the ground, the grooms, our vet Tim, the team in Horse Sport Ireland and of course, the families of these riders, who make these days possible. We appreciate them so very much and we also appreciate our sponsors – this couldn’t be done without them.”

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