O’Connor jumps at ‘fantastic’ chance for Olympic redemption

Show jumper Cian O’Connor yesterday said it was “fantastic to be going back to the Olympics” after he got the nod as a replacement for Denis Lynch.

Lynch had his nomination dramatically withdrawn on Monday by Horse Sport Ireland after his horse Lantinus was disqualified from Aachen show in Germany last Friday for failing a hypersensitivity test on its legs. It was the third horse ridden by the Tipperary man to do so in the past 12 months.

Lynch is considering an appeal, but for O’Connor, it is an opportunity to banish the memories of eight years ago, when he sensationally lost his Athens Olympics gold medal after his horse Waterford Crystal tested positive for banned substances.

“It’s fantastic to be going back to the Olympics,” he said yesterday.

“With regard to Athens, I would prefer not to revisit matters that occurred eight years ago, which I have put behind me. People will remember that the official findings showed I did not deliberately attempt to affect the performance of the horse. This was very important to me at the time and allowed me to get on with my show jumping career.

“I now just wish to focus on the task ahead and this is also what the Irish public will want me to do.”

O’Connor and his horse Blue Loyd were selected by Ireland manager Robert Splaine and accepted by the Olympic Council of Ireland yesterday. He was chosen ahead of Corkman Shane Sweetnam who declined to comment last night.

O’Connor, who joins Cork’s Billy Twomey as one of Ireland’s two show jumpers in London, thanked Splaine, HSI and the Olympic Council of Ireland for “showing confidence in me and the horse to perform at this level.”

“Robert has a difficult job and we have had our differences in the past, but we have a mutual respect for each other,” said O’Connor, the most capped rider on the Irish squad, lining out in more than 85 nations cup teams in his 14-year career.

Speaking about the ability of Blue Loyd to rise to the ultimate challenge, O’Connor said: “I have had him seven months and I think we have built up a good relationship.

“He had experience when I got him and had jumped a clear at the European Championships last year with his then Norwegian rider. Obviously, it takes time to develop a partnership. I have just tried to train him to become more adjustable between the fences and this has improved immensely and is evident by the clear rounds he has jumped at two of the biggest shows in the world in the past month, Aachen in Germany, and Rotterdam.

“If we can reproduce that form in London, we have as good a chance as anybody,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lynch’s brother and manager, Shay, said they were still awaiting confirmation from HSI that it had a process for them to appeal the withdrawal of the rider’s nomination on Monday, after he had appeared before the OCI/HSI Monitoring Group.

“HSI has told us they will revert to us on this as well as provide us with the minutes of Monday’s meeting.

“We are speaking to Denis’s horse owner Thomas Straumann about all options. We will not be letting it rest. If HSI inform us categorically that there is no appeals process, we will take the advice of our lawyers, and discuss it with Thomas,” said Shay.

He said the support of Straumann, a Swiss industrialist, had not waivered.

“Absolutely and categorically, Thomas is still fully behind Denis.”