Cian O'Connor is an Irish equestrian who competes in show jumping. He has competed at three Olympic Games, two World Championships and six European Championships, and has attained 128 senior caps for his country.
He won an individual bronze medal at the London Olympic Games 2012 and was a member of the Irish team that took a gold medal at the European Championships in Gothenburg in 2017. O’Connor also won a bronze individual medal at the latter event. At the Tokyo Summer Olympics (which was held in 2021), Cian and his Irish-bred mount Kilkenny finished seventh overall in the individual class.
He was also a member of the Irish Teams that won Aga Khan Trophy at the Dublin Horse show in 2004, 2012 and 2015.
O’Connor was also a member of the winning Irish team at the European Show Jumping Championships in 2017, again after a 16-year absence from the podium by Ireland. He also took an individual bronze medal at these championships.
Aside from his own participation in the sport, O’Connor has also carved out a significant reputation as a coach to an outstanding crop of younger riders across Ireland, North America and beyond who continue to compete at the highest level of showjumping, both nationally and internationally.
O’Connor also specialises in producing younger horses to achieve top international standards and has a reputation for being able to identify horses with such potential, often early in their careers.