David O’Brien competed in the men’s Star class two-person keelboat at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games alongside Cork sailor Mark Mansfield, finishing 14th in the regatta held off Sydney Harbour.

The partnership was in strong form ahead of the Games, having won bronze at the Star World Championships in Annapolis earlier in 2000 – one of the finest results by an Irish Star crew at a World Championship. Born in Dún Laoghaire, O’Brien is a former world Fireball sailing champion who built his Olympic campaign in the Star class around his considerable experience in high-performance keelboat racing. The Star, designed by Francis Sweisguth in 1910 and an Olympic class from 1932 to 2012, is one of the most technically demanding two-person keelboats in the world.

After retiring from international competition O’Brien became one of Ireland’s most prominent sailing journalists and commentators, writing a sailing column in the Irish Times for more than 20 years.