O'Connor (39) won the Otago marathon kayaking championships on the Taieri River on Sunday.
Not only was it a win for one of the oldest men in the race - he covered the 17km in a tad over 1hr 23min - but it was his first time back in the boat in competitive action after a debilitating injury which nearly had him off the water for good, and put his whole physical future in doubt.
O'Connor, who is now set on winning the national surf life-saving surf ski title this summer, something he has been chasing for more than a decade, was laid low after a racing accident which developed into some acute pain in his arms.
Last April, he had a spill in a motorcycle race and landed on his back.
That led to a compression of his spine but he thought some physiotherapy would have him right in a few weeks.
"I thought it was coming right and had a few scans, and an MRI but I was slowly losing strength. Then I was doing up a zip one day and it just got incredibly sore down my right arm. The pain was unbearable. It didn't get much better. I couldn't even hold a paddle. It was just too sore," he said.
Through the compression of his spine, he had caught a virus which attacked a nerve going from the top of his spine through his shoulder and down his right arm.
"The surgeons wanted to cut me open but my nerve specialist advised against it and said, `Give it time and it will heal'."
So O'Connor, who went to the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, making it to the semifinals as part of the New Zealand crew in the K-4 1000m, waited, which was tough at times.
"Painkillers did not work, as it was nerves, so I just had to grin and bear it."
Throw in appendicitis last year, and returning to the boat looked like a dream.
But slowly the nerve regenerated, and his arm started to regain power.
So much so that O'Connor decided to get back in the kayak and try to compete again.
"I've lost about 10kg, and although I have the fitness I don't have the strength. I still have to be super careful. When it got tough on Sunday I had to back off a bit."
Work in the gym had led to his spine lengthening by about 1cm, and he intends to get back in the surf this summer.
"I've been training a couple of young prospects who really have a future in the sport. But I really want to win the surf ski title at the national champs. I'm not getting any younger but I've been so close many times before."
