Cian O’Connor: Let’s aim for medals

Next year’s World Equestrian Games (WEG) have taken on a new perspective for Ireland’s show jumpers following their recent European Championships victory in Gothenburg, Sweden, team member Cian O’Connor said yesterday.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner as he prepared to board a flight from Germany to Canada for the prestigious Spruce Meadows Masters meeting in Calgary which begins today, O’Connor said that the previous Irish approach of trying to gain a high enough placing at the WEG to qualify for the Olympics has now been set aside for a more ambitious target of finishing in the medals.

“Now we’ve won a championship, and we’re a team to be feared by the others,” he said. “Sometimes winning becomes a habit. Let’s go there and try and win a medal and by doing so we’ll qualify as well.”