James Kernan competed in the individual and team showjumping at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games as part of the first all-civilian Irish showjumping team, riding Touchdown – which he described as ‘the best horse I ever rode.’

The Irish team of Kernan, Peter Charles, Paul Darragh and Eddie Macken finished 14th of the 19 competing teams with 66.75 faults over the two rounds on a course described as ‘big and technical but fair.’ Kernan qualified for the individual third round as a top-50 finisher but was eliminated when he logged 16 faults. His father Frank had revolutionised Irish horse breeding when he sent one of his mares to be covered by a foreign stallion – the result was Touchdown itself. From Crossmaglen, Co. Armagh,

Kernan is a member of one of the great GAA families in Ulster; his brother Joe Kernan subsequently managed the Armagh county team to the All-Ireland title in 2002.