Rhys
McClenaghan
Ireland
·
Gymnastics
Date of birth | 21 July 1999 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Newtownards |
Age | 26 |
Nationality | Ireland |
Disciplines | Gymnastics |
From a young age, Northern Ireland's Rhys McClenaghan showed an affinity for gymnastics. Starting training at the age of six, he excelled on the junior circuit before effortlessly trasnsitioning to the elite ranks.
While still technically a junior, he won a bronze medal in the pommel horse at the 2016 British Artistic Gymnastics Championships and won Ireland's first European Championships medal, earning silver on the pommel at the Junior European Gymnastics Championship
At the 2018 Commonwealth Games held in Australia, McClenaghan won gold, beating reigning world champion Max Whitlock thanks to a higher execution score.
Over the following years, he would continue to add to his medal collection, taking gold at the 2019 European Championships and another gold at the 2023 World Championships.
In 2024, McClenaghan would add the one medal missing from his collection as he secured gold at the Summer Games in Paris. With that achievement, he became the first gymnast to become Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth champion on one apparatus.