Cian O'Connor

Cian O'Connor
Personal information
Full name	Cian O'Connor
Nationality	Ireland
Discipline	Show jumping
Born	12 November 1979 (1979-11-12) (age 32) Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	163 lb (74 kg; 11 st 9 lb)
Medal record Disqualified 2004 Athens Individual jumping

Cián O'Connor (born 12 November 1979)^{[citation needed]} is an Irish equestrian who competes in the sport of showjumping.

He won a show jumping gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics,^[1] which was later stripped from him due to drug offences.^[2] He continues to ride.

Rolex World Ranking

O'Connor reached his highest ever World Ranking of 29th in the June 2011 Rankings (No. 125).

He reached the second-highest Irish ranked rider in May 2009 (No. 101) where he was ranked 35th.

Cian's Current World Ranking (as of the end of October 2011) is 56th - Ireland's No. 3.

Notable Horses

Waterford Crystal Gelding / Bay / 1991 / Landgraf

Winner of 8 Nations Cups and the horse that centered the controversy of the 2004 Olympic Games where O'Connor was stripped of the Gold Medal (See below).

Irish Independent Casper Gelding / Grey / 1992 / Cantus

A very versatile horse that won the Puissance at the 'Kerrygold' Dublin Horse show - clearing 7'5". The pair also jumped clear rounds in Nation Cups and in Grands Prix.

Irish Independent Echo Beach Mare / Chestnut / 1997 / Clover Echo x Cavalier Royale

Winner of many International Classes including the Nations Cup of Lummen, Belgium in 2007, and the World Cup Qualifier in Tripoli, Libya in 2009.

Complete Gelding / Chestnut / 1997 / Comeback II - owned by Castlemartin Stud

Jumped clear on many Nations Cup teams and Grands Prix all over the world. Finished second in the Grand Prix at the 5* Geneva in 2008. He was also selected as the Irish Reserve for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Splendor Gelding / Chestnut / 1999 / Lester - owned by Cian and Stephen O'Connor, and then Ahmed Tolba

Many International wins, and placings in Grands Prix and Nations Cups, including finishing 3rd in the Grand Prix of the 4* La Coruna in 2009.

Rancorrado Gelding / Dark Bay / 1998 / Gran Corrado - owned by Aileen Bryan

Winner of 3 International Grands Prix - CSI4* Lyon 2008, CSI5*-W London 2009, CSI4* Basel 2010. The pair have also been placed on Nations Cup teams all over the world, and in World Cup qualifiers.

K Club Lady Mare / Bay / 1999 / Calido I - owned by Ashkirk Ltd.

Winner of the Nations Cup of Aachen 2010. She also finished second in the Grand Prix at the 5* St. Gallen

Larkhill Cruiser Gelding / Chestnut / 2001 / Cruising x Crosstown Dancer - owned by Cian O'Connor

In their short time together from late November 2010 until May 2011, Cian and Larkhill Cruiser had been on the winning team of the CSIO5* La Baule FEI Nations Cup in 2011, been placed in 4 Grands Prix, won world-ranking classes, and earned €98,000 in prize money.

Jumping career

2004 Olympic Games

Riding his horse, Waterford Crystal, he became an instant national hero, being the only Irish medalist that year. However, on 8 October 2004, it emerged that Waterford Crystal had tested positive for a prohibited substance. Components of the 'B' sample were stolen, as were documents from the Irish Equestrian Federation offices. However, the B blood sample also tested positive for prohibited, but not performance-enhancing, substances, which had been prescribed to the horse some time earlier.

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. On 10 June 2005, O'Connor's solicitor filed an official waiver of appeal in the FEI which made the Judicial Committee’s decision official. O'Connor lost his gold medal and the Irish Show Jumping Team was disqualified by the Olympic Board. The individual showjumping gold medal went to Brazilian Rodrigo Pessoa and the Irish team's seventh place was inherited by the Italians.

2009

In December O'Connor was invited to jump at Olympia, London, finishing, on Rancorrado, 2nd in the World Cup Qualifier, his highest placing in a Qualifier to date. The next night he won the Grand Prix, and this in turn secured him the Leading Rider of the Show.^{[citation needed]}

2010

CSI4* Basel, Switzerland: Grand Prix: 1st (Rancorrado)

CSI3* Lummen, Belgium: Grand Prix: 3rd (K Club Lady)

CSI3* Hagen, Germany: Grand Prix: 8th (K Club Lady)

CSI5* Global Champions Tour, Valencia, Spain: 1m50 class: 4th (K Club Lady) - €1,600 - just 1.65 seconds behind the winner.

CSIO5* Rome, Italy: Meydan FEI Nations Cup: 3rd on 12 faults: Cameron Hanley (Southwind VDL) - (8)/4; Darragh Kenny (Obelix) - 4/(8); Cian O'Connor (K Club Lady) - 4/0; Billy Twomey (Tinka's Serenade) - 0/4

CSIO5* St. Gallen, Switzerland: Grand Prix: 2nd (K Club Lady) - €60,000

Meydan FEI Nations Cup: 4th on 19 faults: Shane Breen (Carmena Z) 5/5; Darragh Kenny (Obelix) 5/(16); Cian O'Connor (K Club Lady) 9/4; Billy Twomey (Je T'aime Flamenco) (9)/0

CSI5* Global Champions Tour, Estoril, Portugal: Grand Prix: 8th (K Club Lady) - €6,000

CSIO5* World Equestrian Festival, Aachen, Germany: Meydan FEI Nations Cup: 1st on 4 faults: Billy Twomey ( Tinka's Serenade) 4/0; Dermott Lennon (Hallmark Elite) 0/0; Cian O'Connor (K Club Lady) 0/0; Denis Lynch (Lantinus) (4)/(NS)

Yageo Prize: 3rd (Splendor)

CSIO5* 'Failte Ireland' Dublin Horse Show, Dublin, Ireland: Meydan FEI Nations Cup: 2nd= on 20 faults: Billy Twomey (Tinka's Serenade) 0/4; Dermott Lennon (Hallmark Elite) (12)/(8); Cian O'Connor (K Club Lady) 8/0; Denis Lynch (Nabab's Son) 8/0 - leaving the team in 4th on the final standings.

'Land Rover' Puissance: 2nd= (Noctambule Courcelle) - clearing 2m10 - €9,850

CSIO5* Gijon, Spain: Grand Prix: 6th (K Club Lady) - €5,000

Meydan FEI Nations Cup: 5th= on 20 faults: Shane Breen (Carmena Z) (8)/0; Capt. David O'Brien (Mo Chroi) 0/(8); Cian O'Connor (Splendor) 8/0; Dermott Lennon (Hallmark Elite) 4/8

CSI5* Madrid, Spain: Grand Prix: 5th (K Club Lady) - €9,000

Puissance: 2nd (Noctambule Courcelle) - €6,000

The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, Jumping World Championships, Kentucky: Team: Dermott Lennon (Hallmark Elite); Denis Lynch (Lantinus); Cian O’Connor (K Club Lady); Billy Twomey (Tinka’s Serenade)

1st Round - Speed Competition: 12th on 2.88 faults; Team in 8th

2nd Round - First round of the Nations Cup: 16th on a total of 6.88 faults

K Club Lady picked up a knock during this round, and O'Connor withdrew from continuing the Championships as an individual.

CSI4* Caen, France: 1m50 jump-off class: 3rd (Splendor) - earning €3,750

CSI5*-W Verona, Italy: Grand Prix: 10th (Splendor) - earning €1,500.

CSI3* Stockholm, Sweden: Grand Prix: 5th (Splendor) - earning €2,500.

CSI5*-W Geneva, Switzerland: Rolex FEI World Cup qualifier: 11th (Splendor) - €3,000

Geneva Derby: 1st (Umberto)

'Credit Suisse' Team Competition - Switzerland vs Europe vs America vs Rest of the World: 1st - Europe II (Larkhill Cruiser) - €3,000

Puissance: =3rd: (Asturias) - €1,500

CSI5*-W London Olympia, United Kingdom: Santa Stakes - 1m60 jump-off class: 1st (Splendor) - €6,480

2011

CSI3*-W Dubai Championships, UAE: FEI World Cup Qualifier: 5th (Larkhill Cruiser) - €3,100

'Gulf News' Dubai Cup (Qualifier for the Grand Prix): 1st (Larkhill Cruiser) - €6,700

Accumulator: 1st (Arabella) - €4,200

O'Connor also earned the 'Leading Rider of the Show' award - €2,100

CSI3*-W Abu Dhabi, UAE: FEI World Cup Qualifier: 6th (Larkhill Cruiser) - €2,500

1m45 Two-Phase Competition: 3rd (Arabella) - €2,600

1m45 Jump-off: 4th (Arabella) - €2,900

1m40 Grand Prix Qualifier: 3rd (Larkhill Cruiser) - €3,200

CSI2*-W Sharjah, UAE: FEI World Cup Qualifier: 3rd (Larkhill Cruiser)

CSI4*-W Al Ain, UAE: FEI World Cup qualifier: 2nd (Larkhill Cruiser) - €11,800

Grand Prix qualifier: 3rd (Larkhill Cruiser) - €5,200

O'Connor also earned the 'Leading Rider of the Show' award

He and Larkhill Cruiser also secured the Leading Horse and Leading Rider Awards of the UAE World Cup Qualifying Tour.

CSI3* Vejer de la Frontera, Spain: Grand Prix (week 2): 3rd (Larkhill Cruiser) - €6,000

Grand Prix (week 3): 2nd (Larkhill Cruiser) - €4,500

Grand Prix (week 4): 3rd (Splendor) - €3,500

Grand Prix (week 5): 5th (Larkhill Cruiser) - €1,800

1m45 two-phase (week 2): 1st (Larkhill Cruiser) - €6,900

1m45 (week 3): 1st (Larkhill Criuser) - €6,900

CSIO5* La Baule, France: FEI Nations Cup: 1st on 13 faults: Shane Sweetnam (Amaretto Darco) 1/4; Billy Twomey (Romanov) 4/4; Cian O'Connor (Larkhill Cruiser) (4)/0; Cameron Hanley (Southwind VDL) 0/(17) - Team earned €64,000

CSI3* Pforzheim, Germany: Grand Prix: 2nd (Temple Road) - €13,000

CSIO5* Rome, Italy: Puissance: 2nd (On Ira) - €4,000

1m50 jump-off: 4th (Temple Road) - €1,995

1m50 jump-off: 5th (Splendor) - €1,610

CSIO5* 'Discover Ireland' RDS Dublin Horse Show, Ireland: 'Power and Speed': 5th (Splendor) - €1,750

'Land Rover' Puissance: =2nd (On Ira) - €3,766

CSIO5* Gijon, Spain: Grand Prix: 8th (Splendor) - €3,000

1m50 jump-off: 2nd (Carpe Diem) - €8,500

CSIO5* Barcelona, Spain: 'Seat' Grand Prix: 5th (Carpe Diem) - €9,000

CSI3* Horse of the Year Show, Birmingham, UK: 'Vinopolis' Speed Horse of the Year: 3rd (Goldex) - €3,600

CSI5*-W Helsinki, Finland: 1m50 'Porsche International Classic': 5th (Carpe Diem) - €2,500

1m40 'Power and Speed': 7th (Goldex) - €1,000

Family and personal life

O'Connor's parents, Tadgh and Louise, a chef, separated when he was seven. His maternal grandfather was the former Irish rugby international Karl Mullen. He is godson to Tony O'Reilly.^[3]

On 19 June 2002, Cian's then-girlfriend Hazel O'Callaghan, daughter of property tycoon Owen O'Callaghan, was fatally injured while trying to unload a horse from a trailer.^[3] As of 2010, O'Connor is engaged to Ruth Maybin.

Major Results

• 2011
  • 2nd, Grand Prix - CSI3* Pforzheim, Germany (Temple Road)
  • 1st, FEI Nations Cup - CSIO5* La Baule, France (Larkhill Cruiser)
  • 3rd, Grand Prix - CSI3*, Week 4 Vejer de la Frontera, Spain (Splendor)
  • 2nd, Grand Prix - CSI3*, Week 3 Vejer de la Frontera, Spain (Larkhill Cruiser)
  • 3rd, Grand Prix - CSI3*, Week 2 Vejer de la Frontera, Spain (Larkhill Cruiser)
  • 2nd, FEI World Cup Qualifier - CSI4*-W, Al Ain, UAE (Larkhill Cruiser) - Also Leading Rider of the Show
  • 3rd, FEI World Cup Qualifier - CSI2*-W, Sharjah, UAE (Larkhill Cruiser)
• 2010
  • Meydan FEI Nations Cup of Aachen, Germany, (K Club Lady)
  • 2nd, Grand Prix - CSIO5*, St. Gallen, Switzerland, (K Club Lady)
  • Grand Prix - Basel CSI4*, Basel, Switzerland, (Rancorrado)
• 2009
  • Grand Prix - Olympia CSI5*-W, London, United Kingdom, (Rancorrado) - Also Leading Rider of the Show
  • 2nd, Rolex FEI World Cup Qualifier - Olympia CSI5*-W, London, United Kingdom, (Rancorrado) - Also Leading Rider of the Show
  • FEI World Cup Qualifier - CSI3*-W Tripoli, Libya, (Irish Independent Echo Beach)
  • 3rd, Rolex FEI World Cup Qualifier - Leipzig CSI5*-W, Germany, (Rancorrado)
• 2008
  • 2nd, Grand Prix - CSI5*-W Geneva, Switzerland, (Complete)
  • Grand Prix - CSI4* Chantilly, France, (Rancorrado)
• 2007
  • Nations Cup - CSIO5* Lummen, Belgium, (Irish Independent Echo Beach)
  • Nations Cup - CSIO4* Poznan, Poland, (Complete)
• 2005
  • 2nd, Grand Prix - CSI3* Frankfurt, Germany, (Waterford Crystal)

See also

• Ireland at the 2004 Summer Olympics
• Equestrian at the 2004 Summer Olympics
• List of Irish sports people

References

1. ^ "O'Connor takes gold for Ireland". RTÉ. 27 August 2004. http://www.rte.ie/sport/2004/0827/irish.html. Retrieved 23 February 2008. 
2. ^ "O'Connor loses Olympic gold medal". RTÉ. 27 March 2005. http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0327/oconnorc.html. Retrieved 23 February 2008. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Dublin, Irish Independent: Jun 3 2007, "My Kingdom for a Horse", sourced from [1] 8 October 2010

External links

• Official website

Persondata
Name	Oconnor, Cian
Alternative names
Short description	Equestrian
Date of birth	12 November 1979
Place of birth	Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Date of death
Place of death