Omagh’s Niamh helps Ireland to European bronze medal success

OMAGH’S Niamh McEvoy and her Ireland under-18 showjumping team-mates, Francis Derwin, Rhys Williams, Tom Wachman and Conor McLaughlin, managed by James Kernan and sponsored by GAIN Equine Nutrition, won the team bronze medal following an excellent final round performance at the 2022 FEI European Championships in Oliva, Spain.

Ireland started the day in bronze medal position on a score of 11.67 following the opening two rounds held on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, and added just four penalties in the final round to hold their third place and take home the bronze medal.

Having won a gold medal in Poland at under-16 level, Niamh was thrilled to have claimed another European team medal.

“It feels really good to win the bronze medal, I was totally delighted,” beamed Niamh, who was proud of her horse, Templepatrick Welcome Limmerick, who coped remarkably with temperatures up to 38 degrees centigrade.

She continued: “The mare was jumping out of her skin. It was really hard in the conditions. The heat was brutal, nothing they were used to at all.

“We were sponging her down before she went in and we had so many fans on for her and I know a few of the vets lodged welfare concerns because it’s awful hot for them.”

Unfortunately for Niamh, her quest for an individual medal fell short and she decided to send her mount home a day early in order for her to be ready for the 5* Dublin Show qualifier at Tattersalls this weekend.

After the first round of action, the speed round, Niamh was third in the individual standings, but the narrow margins of top level sport were evident when Templepatrick Welcome Limmerick, despite jumping brilliantly, ‘put a toe in the water jump’ and she hit the last fence of run two, which left her 29th.

At that stage she decided to call it quits and look to forthcoming events.

“It wasn’t worth it to jump her in the heat at that stage,” Niamh explained.

“So, she went home and we’re onto the next stage of trying to get into the 5* at Dublin.

“I probably won’t get it this year, but it would be great if we did. We’ll work on it anyway and hopefully things go well.”