Denis Lynch represented Ireland in the individual show jumping at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Riding Lantinus, he had posted just six penalties across three rounds of the competition to qualify for the individual final, and was regarded as a strong medal prospect at those Games.

On the morning of the final, however, it emerged that Lantinus had tested positive for capsaicin – a substance found in Equiblock, a warming cream similar to Deep Heat that Lynch had been applying to the horse’s legs during warm-up as standard practice, unaware that the product was prohibited. The FEI barred Lynch from competing in the final and he described himself as ‘shattered.’

Lynch was introduced to riding by his grandfather as a young boy and initially aspired to steeplechase racing before turning to show jumping, becoming professional in the late 1990s. He went on to build one of the most distinguished careers in Irish show jumping history – winning the Rolex Grand Prix of Rome in 2008 and again in 2022, the Rolex FEI World Cup in s’Hertogenbosch in 2011, and helping Ireland win team gold at the 2017 European Championships in Gothenburg.