Irish jockey Michael O’Sullivan died on Sunday after suffering injuries during a fall during a race earlier this month, the Irish regulatory board said. He was 24 years old.
O’Sullivan was rolling on Weex Charlie while he was one of the three runners to die for the final fence during a race organized in Thurles, Ireland, on February 6. He was treated on the track before being taken to the Cork University Hospital, where he was placed in an induced coma, CBS News Partner BBC News reported.
“On behalf of the O’Sullivan family, it is with deep sadness that the IHRB confirms the death of Michael O’Sullivan”, ” The IHRB said in a statement on Sunday. “The directors and staff of the IHRB wish to exercise their sincere condolences to Michael’s family, partner, friends, colleagues in the weighing hall and the racing community in the broad sense for the moment.”
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Dr. Jennifer Pugh, the head doctor of the IHRB, said that he died early Sunday morning with his family around him at the Cork University Hospital.
“We appreciate our appreciation to the multidisciplinary teams that provided the best of medical care in Michael, both on the racetrack and at the Cork university hospital,” said Pugh in the press release. “Michael’s family made the decision to give their organs in this incredibly difficult period, but in doing so, made a choice that will make a real difference for the lives of other patients and their families.”
Out of respect for O’Sullivan, Sunday’s match in Punhetown was canceled with several other races.
“Michael was an exceptionally talented young rider who has always been popular in the weighing room,” said CEO of the IHRB, Darragh O’Loughlin. “Michael will deeply miss all the races that have had the pleasure of knowing him.”
O’Sullivan’s first victory in a professional race occurred in 2018, in Cork, reported BBC News. He officially became a professional in September 2022 and took importance the following year, after winning several races at the Cheltenham Festival in England, according to the BBC.