Cian O'Connor

Irish equestrian
The basics

Quick Facts

IntroIrish equestrian
PlacesIreland
isEquestrian Athlete Show jumper
Work fieldSports
Gender
Male
Birth12 November 1979, Dublin, County Dublin, Leinster, Great Britain
Age45 years
Star signScorpio
Family
Siblings:Pippa O'Connor
Stats
Height:176 cm
Education
Belvedere CollegeDublin, County Dublin, Republic of Ireland
The details

Biography

Cian O'Connor (born 12 November 1979) is an Irish equestrian competing in show jumping. 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 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 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

YearPlaceHorseEventRatingShowLocation
20084thRancorradoGrand PrixCSIO5*Real Club De Polo BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain
20081stRancorradoGrand PrixCSI4*Chateau De ChantillyChantilly, France
20091stRancorradoGrand PrixCSI5* WCOlympia London Horse ShowLondon, United Kingdom
20092ndRancorradoWorld CupCSI5* WCOlympia London Horse ShowLondon, United Kingdom
20093rdRancorradoSenior Nations CupCSIO5*All English Show Grounds HicksteadHickstead, United Kingdom
20093rdRancorradoWorld CupCSI5* WCPartner Pferd LeipzigLeipzig, Germany
20102ndK Club LadySenior Nations CupCSIO5*RDS ArenaDublin, Ireland
20102ndK Club LadyGrand PrixCSIO5*CSIO St GallenSt Gallen, Switzerland
20103rdK Club LadySenior Nations CupCSIO5*Piazza Di SiennaRome, Italy
20101stRancorradoGrand PrixCSI4*Longines CHI Classics BaselBasel, Switzerland
20111stLarkhill CruiserSenior Nations CupCSIO5*La Baule Horse ShowLa Baule, France
20112ndLarkhill CruiserWorld CupCSIO4* WCAl Ain Equestrian CentreAbu Dhabi, UAE
20121stBlue Lloyd 12Senior Nations CupCSIO5*RDS ArenaDublin, Ireland
20123rdBlue Lloyd 12Grand PrixCSIO5*RDS ArenaDublin, Ireland
2012Bronze MedalBlue Lloyd 12Olympic Games London Individual FinalOlympic GamesSummer Olympic Games LondonLondon, United Kingdom
20122ndBlue Lloyd 12Senior Nations CupCSIO4*Hubside Jumping ValenceValence, France
20131stBlue Lloyd 12Grand PrixCSIO5*RDS ArenaDublin, Ireland
20133rdBlue Lloyd 12Senior Nations CupCSIO5*RDS ArenaDublin, Ireland
20163rdGood LuckWorld CupCSI5* WCStuttgart German MastersStuttgart, Germany
20165thGood LuckGrand PrixCSIO5*Los Angeles Horse ShowLos Angeles, USA
20164thGood LuckGrand PrixCSIO5*RDS ArenaDublin, Ireland
20161stGood LuckSenior Nations CupCSIO5*RDS ArenaDublin, Ireland
2017Bronze MedalGood LuckEuropean Championship Individual FinalEUCHGothenburg Horse ShowGothenburg, Sweden
2017Gold MedalGood LuckEuropean Championship Team FinalEUCHGothenburg Horse ShowGothenburg, Sweden
20171stGood LuckGrand PrixCSIO5*Hipodrom SopotSopot, Poland
2018Bronze MedalGood LuckWorld Equestrian Championships Team FinalCSI5*Tryon Equestrian CentreTryon, USA
20193rdPSG FinalGlobal Champions League FinalCSI5*O2 Arena PraguePlayoffsPrague, Czech Republic
20191stPSG FinalGrand PrixCSI4*X-Bionic SphereSamorin, Slovakia
20191stPSG FinalSenior Nations Cup FinalCSIO5*Real Club De PoloBarcelona, Spain
20192ndPSG FinalSenior Nations CupCSIO5*Piazza Di SiennaRome, Italy
20217thKilkennyOlympic Games Tokyo Individual FinalOlympic GamesSummer Olympic Games TokyoTokyo, Japan
20214thKilkennyGrand PrixCSI4*Tops International ArenaValkenswaard, The Netherlands
20213rdKilkennyGrand PrixCSI5*Wellington Equestrian FestivalWellington, USA
20221stTaj MahalGrand PrixCSI3*Knokke HippiqueKnokke, Belgium
20224thC Vier 2World Equestrian Championships Team FinalCSIO5*Herning RideklubHerning, Denmark
20221stKilkennySenior Nations CupCSIO5*RDS ArenaDublin, Ireland
20221stKilkennyGrand PrixCSI3*Sunshine Tour MontenmedioVejer de la Frontera, Spain

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 Brazilian Rodrigo Pessoa and the Irish team's seventh place was inherited by the Italians.

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 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 horses nostrils three-quarters into their jumping round, and due to the horse's grey colouring, it was visible to spectators on the event's livestream. 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: (01/05/2012) Gelding, Grey. Irish Sport Horse (Cardento 933 x Guidam)
  • Taj Mahal: (11/05/2013) Stallion, Bay. Zangersheide (Emerald Van'T Ruytershof x Quannan R)
  • C Vier 2': (22/05/2008) Gelding, Bay. Holsteiner (Cardento 933 x Concorde)
  • Good Luck: (15/05/2006) Stallion, Bay. Belgian Warmblood (Canturo x Furioso II)
  • Blue Lloyd 12: (11/02/2000) Gelding, Bay. Oldenburger (Landor S x Hadj A X)
  • Splendor: (31/05/1999) Gelding, Chestnut. Dutch Warmblood (Lester x Marinier)
  • K Club Lady: (08/03/1999) Mare, Bay. Holsteiner (Calido x Landgraf I)
  • Arabella: (05/05/2003) Mare, Bay. Irish Sport Horse (Heartbreaker x Cavalier Royale)
  • Larkhill Cruiser: (20/03/2001) Gelding, Chestnut. Irish Sport Horse (Cruising x Crosstown Dancer)
  • Rancorrado: (06/04/1998) Gelding, Bay. Dutch Warmblood (Gran Corrado x Hamlet). Horse
  • Echo Beach : (23/05/2007) Stallion, Bay. Anglo European (Unbelievable Darco x Goodtimes)
  • Waterford Crystal : (06/03/1991) Gelding, Bay. Holsteiner (Landgraf I x Corvado)
The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article on 03 Aug 2024. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.