IRELAND’S SHOWJUMPERS WILL go for gold in Paris on Friday after booking their place in the Olympic team final.

The Irish team of Shane Sweetnam, Daniel Coyle and Cian O’Connor finished sixth out of 20 teams in Thursday’s qualifying round at the Chateau de Versailles, comfortably inside the top 10 finalists.

Sweetnam and his horse James Kann Cruz were first up for Ireland, picking up four faults in a time of 75.22, before Daniel Coyle and Legacy produced a clear round in 75.83.

O’Connor on Maurice was the last of the trio to compete, finishing with four faults as well as one time fault in 79.17.

Ireland’s combined total of nine penalties and 230.22 saw them finish in sixth, with Germany the only team of the 20 to produce three clear rounds.

USA qualified in second place with six penalties, while Great Britain were third on eight penalties, finishing just ahead of Belgium and the Netherlands on time.

Scores do not carry into tomorrow’s final, where the three members of each team will jump again to decide the medal placings.

The final begins at 1pm Irish time on Friday.

Written by Niall Kelly and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.