Equestrian:Cian O'Connor has been selected to replace Denis Lynch in the show jumping competition at the Olympic Games in London later this month. Horse Sport Ireland decided not to proceed with Lynch's nomination yesterday and have put forward O'Connor's name instead.
The decision follows the disqualification last Friday of Lantinus, Lynch’s Nations’ Cup mount in Aachen, Germany. Although the Germany-based rider was free to compete at the evetn throughout the weekend, Lantinus was disqualified from continuing at the five-star show having failed a hypersensitivity test during a “routine boot and bandage control”.
This was the third time in the past 12 months a mount of Lynch’s had failed such a test, All Inclusive NRW doing so at the Global Champions’ Tour in Rio de Janerio in September, while Lord Luis went down at Aachen last year.
O’Connor is no stranger to controversy himself, having been stripped of his gold medal at the 2004 Olympics and forced to hand it back when a sedative was found in the system of his horse, Waterford Crystal.
“The Olympic Council of Ireland has approved Horse Sport Ireland's nomination of Cian O'Connor as the second Irish show jumping rider for the Olympic Games in London,” the OCI said in a statement this evening.
“The nomination was made by Horse Sport Ireland's show jumping Chef D'Equipe Robert Splaine for the combination of Cian O'Connor and his horse Blue Loyd. Ireland will now be represented by Billy Twomey and Cian O'Connor in the individual show jumping event in Greenwich, London, which commences on August 5th.”