Irish jockey JT McNamara dies three years after being paralysed in Cheltenham Festival fall

Renowned Irish National Hunt jockey John Thomas "JT" McNamara has died in Limerick at the age of 41. The former amateur rider achieved over 600 wins in his career, including four at Cheltenham before being paralysed from the neck down following a fall at the festival in 2013.

McNamara's mount Galaxy Rock fell at the first fence during the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup, leaving him with two fractured vertebrae. He spent 15 months in hospital and at the North West Regional Spinal Injuries Centre in Southport before returning to Ireland permanently in 2014.

"I've just spoken to his wife Caroline and I can confirm JT passed away peacefully during the night," Irish Turf Club chief medical officer Adrian McGoldrick told the Press Association.

Reacting to the news of his passing, Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) chief executive Brian Kavanagh said: "Our thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of John Thomas McNamara, especially his wife Caroline and children Dylan, Harry and Olivia. JT's passing is a very sad loss for Irish racing."