Greg Broderick's Olympic Games ended in agonising fashion on Tuesday as he just missed out on progression from his individual show jumping qualifier aboard Going Global.
The Tipperary man required a top-45 finish to progress from the individual Show Jumping competition, but ended the day in joint 50th.
Broderick just about squeezed out of the first qualifier in joint-53rd place, which was also the cut-off point.
He needed to improve to make Wednesday’s next qualifying round, with the final on Sunday, but couldn;t raise his game quite enough to do it.
The 31-year-old paid the price for an eight-point penalty in his first qualifier that left him 53rd heading into the second qualifier. He took 39th in that, but it proved too little too late.
“You just couldn’t be disappointed with Greg or the horse because they jumped fantastically well on both days," Horse Sport Ireland Show Jumping team manager Robert Splaine said.
"Just one fence less either on the first day or at the water today which caused a lot of problems, would have been enough but unfortunately it wasn’t to be."
Greg Broderick & Going Global narrowly miss out on place in 3rd round in Rio, finish in joint 50th place with just the top 45 going through
— Team IRL Equestrian (@TeamIRLEq) August 16, 2016
Meanwhile, Great Britain's contenders saw their team title defence end after they also failed to progress.
The British quartet of Nick Skelton, Ben Maher, Michael Whitaker and John Whitaker could not secure the top-eight finish required to go through.
Even if they were successful with an ongoing appeal to have four faults overturned after Skelton's horse Big Star was adjudged to have touched the tape at the water fence, it would make no difference.
Britain won gold in London four years ago when the team of Skelton, Maher, Scott Brash and Peter Charles beat Holland in a thrilling jump-off.
