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Cián O'Connor (born 12 November 1979) is an Irish equestrian who won a show jumping gold medal at the 2004 Olympics[1], which was later stripped from him due to drug offences[2]. He continues to ride.
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Riding career
2004 Olympic Games
Riding his horse, Waterford Crystal, he became an instant national hero, being the only Irish medalist that year. However, on 8 October 2004, it emerged that Waterford Crystal had tested positive for a prohibited substance. Components of the 'B' sample were stolen, as were documents from the Irish Equestrian Federation offices. However, the B blood sample also tested positive for prohibited, but not performance enhancing, substances which had been prescribed to the horse some time earlier.
The Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) ruled that O'Connor must be stripped of his medal and he also received a three month ban from competition. On 10 June 2005, O'Connor's solicitor filed an official waiver of appeal in the FEI which made the Judicial Committee’s decision official. O'Connor lost his gold medal and the Irish Show Jumping Team was disqualified by the Olympic Board. The individual showjumping gold medal went to Brazilian Rodrigo Pessoa and the Irish team's seventh place was inherited by the Italians.
Family and personal life
On 19 June 2002, Cian's then-girlfriend Hazel O'Callaghan, daughter of property tycoon Owen O'Callaghan, was fatally injured while trying to unload a horse from a trailer.
O'Connor's maternal grandfather was the former Irish rugby international Karl Mullen. He is godson to Tony O'Reilly.
See also
- Ireland at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Equestrian at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- List of Irish sports people
References
- ^ "O'Connor takes gold for Ireland". RTÉ. 2004-08-27. http://www.rte.ie/sport/2004/0827/irish.html. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
- ^ "O'Connor loses Olympic gold medal". RTÉ. 2005-03-27. http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0327/oconnorc.html. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
External links
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