Clearing all the obstacles in her way

Sportswoman Award for October Jessica Kürten: Mary Hannigan on the showjumper's determination to be the best.

There has rarely, you might have noticed, been a dull moment in Irish showjumping in recent times, but in the midst of all the rows and controversies Jessica Kürten, for one, has been getting on with the business of establishing herself as one of the sport's leading competitors.

Indeed, in the International Equestrian Federation's latest world rankings only five riders are above Kürten in the list.

Last month she became the first Irish woman to break in to the world top 10, rising to sixth from her previous position of 12th, which was testament to the consistency and quality of her form through the year.

That achievement alone made the Antrim-born woman, now based in Germany, a serious contender for the Irish Times/Mitsubishi Electric Sportswoman award for October, but her performances at the Las Vegas Invitational later in the month clinched it.

"It's a huge achievement for me," said Kürten of reaching the top 10, "it's been a really big goal. Now all I have to do is stay there."

Well, being placed in all six of the classes in Las Vegas, finishing second in the Casino Classic (she also won the "ride and drive" qualifier), ensured that she remained in sixth place in the November rankings.

The invitational, one of the sport's richest events, featured 25 of the world's leading riders, with its highlight the $750,000 Grand Prix in which Kürten was one of only six riders to advance to the jump-off. Olympic champion Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil won out, and Kürten finished fifth, and left Nevada $66,500 the richer from her efforts over the two days.

If she can retain her top-10 position, the two-time Irish Olympian, who will be 36 later this month, will be guaranteed invitations to all the World Cup fixtures in the New Year, which should help to make up for being overlooked by the Irish selectors for this year's series.

Kürten, then, becomes only the second sportswoman to win two Irish Times/Mitsubishi Electric awards (squash professional Madeline Perry was the first) since they began in January of last year. She won in August 2004 for her contribution to Ireland's Aga Khan trophy-winning success at the Nations Cup in Dublin and for her performances at the Olympic Games later that month.

Asked recently "what would you do if you were not an international show jumper", Kürten replied: "Try to become one."

Evidently, that level of passion for and commitment to her sport has contributed to her achievements, not least this year when, despite all the distractions, she has become the world's sixth best competitor in her field.

Once we choose our November and December winners we will select our 2005 Sportswoman of the Year.

2005 Monthly Winners

Carmel Kissane (basketball), Jolene Byrne (athletics), Nina Carberry (horse racing), Madeline Perry (squash), Katie Taylor (boxing), Jenny Burke (hockey), Eileen O'Keeffe (athletics), Niamh Fahey (Gaelic football) and Briege Corkery (camogie), Jessica Kürten (equestrian).