Bronze age return for the Royal County

Meath-based Cian O'Connor took Ireland's first London Olympics 2012 medal when he claimed an outstanding bronze last Wednesday in a dramatic jump-off. O'Connor's bronze medal-winning performance came as a surprise as just 24 hours earlier it appeared he wouldn't make the final as he finished outside the top 35 competitors following the third round semi-final. He was on standby as first reserve and after the withdrawal of a Swedish competitor O'Connor was drafted into the final and took full advantage. O'Connor and his mount Blue Loyd 12 completed an almost faultless second round in the final with one time fault, but it was that penalty that left the Kildare native just 0.02 seconds outside of the gold medal position and tied with Gerco Schroder of the Netherlands in joint-second place on one penalty point each. O'Connor and Schroder competed in a jump-off to decide the silver and bronze medal positions. Schroder set a time of 49.79 and the Meath-based rider set a blistering pace in pursuit of silver. With just one fence to jump, he looked set to claim the silver medal, but Blue Loyd 12 clipped the final jump, picking up four faults and handing silver to Schroder. "I knew that if one person had a bit of bad luck on the day that we'd have a chance to get into the final, so I was planned and ready as if I was going to be jumping. Being organised and being planned and prepared is the key to success and I think I do that better than most. I'm not the best rider in the world, but maybe I'm the best organised," said O'Connor. "In the jump-off I watched Gerco Schroder and it was hard to gauge how quickly he was going. I've only had Blue Loyd for seven months so I wasn't sure how to ride him fast, but he was quicker than I realised and he jumped for fun. "It was hard to gauge how we were going because the crowd were so loud, but I probably got a bit carried away at the last because I was galloping like I was coming up the hill at Cheltenham. I was disappointed to knock that last one down, but I took off my cap because I was delighted as I knew I had secured the bronze medal. "It was fantastic for me personally and it was great to be part of such an historic occasion. "I have too mention Katie Taylor and her fantastic win," concluded O'Connor. Tara's Natalya Coyle produced a heroic performance for a top 10 finish in the Modern Penathlon on Sunday. There will be a reception for both O'Connor and Coyle next Sunday in Ratoath.