O’Connor ‘dark horse for a medal’

Olympic Council of Ireland President Pat Hickey insists he has no issues with show jumper Cian O’Connor competing in the London Games.

O’Connor won gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004 but was subsequently stripped of the medal after his horse, Waterford Crystal, tested positive for banned, but not performance enhancing substances.

Earlier this month O’Connor received a late call up to the Irish squad when Denis Lynch was dropped after his horse Lantinus was found to be hypersensitive at a Nations Cup event in Aachen.

Lynch yesterday filed an appeal against that decision.

The OCI chief revealed he has spoken to O’Connor since his call up and made his feelings “very clear” about what is expected of the rider.

“No I don’t,” Mr Hickey said when asked if he had concerns about O’Connor’s participation. “The way it works in life is that if you get two years for stealing a car, when you come out you are re-established in society, you’ve done your time and you should be accepted back into society.

“It is the same with that situation. He served the penalty and paid the price.

“We have a monitoring group between the Equestrian Federation and ourselves [in the Olympic Council] who say that since that happened he has been a model player, one of the best with results and is always cooperative.

“I think whatever happened, happened. He learnt a lot of lessons. I rang him and spoke personally to him and made it very clear that what I wanted to hear had to be impeccable. And he could be a dark horse for a medal.”

Meanwhile, Mr Hickey has expressed hope that Irish competitors can surpass the Beijing medal haul at the London Games. Ireland won three medals in China with boxers Kenny Egan claiming silver while Paddy Barnes and the late Darren Sutherland won bronze.

Mr Hickey has high hopes again for the boxers but also believes that some other sports could come good over the next fortnight.

“I would like us to come back with more medals than Beijing. It is achievable if we get a bit of luck.

“The sailors know these waters better than they do the Irish waters and the equestrian team probably competes more often here than they do in Ireland.”

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