Event: Eventing (is that confusing?) It combines dressage, cross-country and showjumping.
Who are they? Once known as ‘three-day eventing’ but now extended to a fourth day, this is one of the few sports where men and women compete on equal terms. You may already know Camilla Speirs from her stint on RTE’s London Calling. At 23 Speirs is, by some distance, the youngest member of the team which also comprises: Aoife Clarke, Mark Kyle, Joseph Murphy and Michael Ryan.
Michael Ryan at the International Horse trials in 2009. / ©INPHO/Lorraine O’Sullivan
What they say about themselves: Chef de Mission, Ginny Elliot told Horse Sport Ireland: “They have a very difficult job, they compete against eachother every weekend until a championship team competition which happens once a year. Then you have to turn the tables around and say ‘now we’re a team.’ I can only admire them for the change they have to make to culminate as a team.”
Road to London: Squad selection is based on the performance of rider and horse at over a long period of time. Horse Sport Ireland announced the final five-strong squad on July 4 with Geoff Curran and Sam Watson named in reserve.
Medal chances: All team events are difficult to predict as it requires so many individual factors to meshed together and come good. However, if world rankings are any indication, then the chances of a podium place is slim. Ryan is the top-listed Irish competitor at number 69.
Anything can happen on the day, but Jimmy mouthing ‘just the one’ at me from across the office.
On the Twitter: Clarke, Speirs and Murphy can be found @AoifeClark @CamillaSpeirs and @JMurphyEventing. Alas, no sign of Ryan or Kyle.
If you meet them in a bar ask, them... if they’ll all pitch in and buy you a Jägerbomb.
If they were a YouTube video they would be... Eventing at Sochi 2014 maybe?
YouTube credit: jakek89
Read more of TheScore’s “London 2012: Introducing” series here >
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