Cian O'Connor (born 12 November 1979) is an Irish

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

competing in

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...

. He has competed at four Olympic Games, four World Championships and six European Championships. O'Connor was stripped of the gold medal at the

2004 Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

when his horse was found to have a banned substance in its system. O'Connor returned to the Olympics in 2012, receiving the bronze medal in the individual showjumping event. At the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics, O'Connor withdrew his mount Kilkenny after the horse suffered a nosebleed during their round. Cian was a member of the Irish Teams that won the Aga Khan Trophy at the

Dublin Horse show The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) () is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economically. It was long active as a learned ...

in 2004, 2012, 2015 and 2022. O’Connor was also a member of the winning Irish team at the European Show Jumping Championships in 2017, where he placed third in the individual competition. As part of the Irish World Championships team in Herning 2022, O'Connor qualified for the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.

Major results

2004 Summer Olympics

Riding Waterford Crystal, O'Connor placed first in the individual jumping competition, earning Ireland's only gold medal. However, on 8 October 2004, it emerged that Waterford Crystal had tested positive for a prohibited substance. The Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) ruled that O'Connor must be stripped of his medal and he also received a three-month ban from competition. FEI found that he did not deliberately attempt to affect the performance of the horse. The individual showjumping gold medal went to

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

ian Rodrigo Pessoa and the Irish team's seventh place was inherited by the

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2012 Summer Olympics

O'Connor won the bronze medal in London with his horse Blue Loyd 12 in individual jumping. He lost to

Gerco Schröder Gerco Bernardus Schröder (born 28 July 1978, in Tubbergen) is a Dutch show jumping equestrian. He currently ranks third on the FEI Rolex Ranking List. Gerco Schröder represented the Netherlands at the 2004 Summer Olympics where he took part ...

of the Netherlands in a Silver medal jump-off.

2020 Summer Olympics

O'Connor rode to seventh place with Kilkenny at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (celebrated in 2021), but withdrew after his horse suffered a nosebleed during their round. Blood became visible from the horse's nostrils three-quarters into their jumping round, and due to the horse's grey colouring, it was visible to spectators on the event's live stream. The appearance of blood from the nostrils was not in violation of the FEI's blood rule, however, out of an abundance of caution, O'Connor withdrew from the remaining team competition.

Horses

* Kilkenny: (1 May 2012) Gelding, Grey. Irish Sport Horse (Cardento 933 x Guidam) * Taj Mahal: (11 May 2013) Stallion, Bay. Zangersheide (Emerald Van'T Ruytershof x Quannan R) * ''C Vier 2: (22 May 2008) Gelding, Bay. Holsteiner (Cardento 933 x Concorde) * Good Luck: (15 May 2006) Stallion, Bay. Belgian Warmblood (Canturo x Furioso II) * Blue Lloyd 12: (11 February 2000) Gelding, Bay. Oldenburger (Landor S x Hadj A X) * Splendor: (31 May 1999) Gelding, Chestnut. Dutch Warmblood (Lester x Marinier) * K Club Lady: (8 March 1999) Mare, Bay. Holsteiner (Calido x Landgraf I) * Arabella: (5 May 2003) Mare, Bay. Irish Sport Horse (Heartbreaker x Cavalier Royale) * Larkhill Cruiser: (20 March 2001) Gelding, Chestnut. Irish Sport Horse (Cruising x Crosstown Dancer) * Rancorrado: (6 April 1998) Gelding, Bay. Dutch Warmblood (Gran Corrado x Hamlet). Horse * Echo Beach: (23 May 2007) Stallion, Bay. Anglo European (Unbelievable Darco x Goodtimes) * Waterford Crystal: (6 March 1991) Gelding, Bay. Holsteiner (Landgraf I x Corvado)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Cian 1979 births Living people Equestrians at the 2004 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 2012 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 2024 Summer Olympics Irish show jumping riders Irish sportspeople in doping cases Olympic equestrians for Ireland Irish male equestrians Olympic bronze medalists for Ireland Equestrians from County Dublin Competitors stripped of Summer Olympics medals Olympic medalists in equestrian Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics People educated at Belvedere College Equestrians at the 2020 Summer Olympics Doping cases in equestrian sports