Sportswoman of the Month award: Her contribution to Ireland's Aga Khan trophy-winning success at the Nations Cup in Dublin in early August had already made Jessica Kuerten a serious contender for our Mitsubishi Electric Sportswoman of the month award. Her form at the Olympic Games, later that month, simply sealed the decision.

The Irish team wasn't even among the favourites for the trophy at the RDS after a disappointing Super League season but found itself in contention at the halfway stage, tying in second place with Belgium and the United States, behind France.

A chap by the name of Cian O'Connor - you may have heard of him - jumped clear in the second round, before Kuerten, riding Quibell added another clear round, making the seemingly unlikeliest of victories a distinct possibility.

Corkman Billy Twomey needed to produce yet another clear round for Ireland to prevent France winning the Aga Khan Cup outright, and he obliged. Kuerten, O'Connor, Twomey and Marion Hughes, then, combined to give Ireland its first Nations Cup success since 2000.

Kuerten maintained her fine form in Athens, riding a superb clear round on Castle Forbes Maike to help Ireland to a seventh place finish in the team showjumping competition, coming fifth in the individual rankings.

All the riders, though, began at zero for the individual event, and zero was the number of faults Kuerten, brilliantly, incurred in the first round, making her one of only two riders - Britain's Nick Skelton being the other - to jump clear in the opening round.

"It was a fantastic performance," said Irish Chef d'Equipe Col Ned Campion, "her round had to be seen to be believed."

The pressure was on, then, for the second round, another clear would guarantee Kuerten at least a silver medal. "It's a long way from finished," she warned, "we could still end up in 20th."

And so it proved, Kuerten's luck was out, Castle Forbes Maike had the look of a horse who'd had enough and just wanted to go home.

It was left to O'Connor to steal the glory but Kuerten left the Olympic Games ranked in the top 20, completing a superb year on a personal level for a sportswoman with an impressive track record.

The 34-year-old from Cullybackey in Antrim was the only member of the Irish showjumping team in Athens with previous Olympic experience - she also competed in the Atlanta Games in 1996.

Now based in Germany with her husband Eckhard, Kuerten (nee Chesney) finished 10th at the World Equestrian Games in 1994, when she was just 24, becoming only the third Irish woman to win the Queen Elizabeth Cup at Hickstead in 1999, before being part of those 2000 and 2004 Aga Khan triumphs.

Also in 2000 she helped a young Irish team to a record-breaking 10th Nations Cup at Spruce Meadows, Calgary - and the title of outright winners of the Samsung Nations Cup Series for 1999-2000 - when she had an outstanding "double clear" in the two rounds.

This year has proved to be one of her most successful, riding to success with Quibell at Hertogenbosch, Zurich, and at the German ladies' masters at Stuttgart, before experiencing more success in Paris with Castle Forbes Maike.

And, to cap it all, she has her Olympic memories.