Rhys McClenaghan

Rhys McClenaghan
Full name Rhys Joshua McClenaghan
Country represented  Ireland
 Northern Ireland
Born (1999-07-21) 21 July 1999
Antrim, Northern Ireland[1]
Hometown Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland
Residence Dublin, Republic of Ireland[2][3]
Discipline Men's artistic gymnastics
Club National Gymnastics Training Centre, National Sports Campus, Dublin, Ireland
Head coach(es) Luke Carson
Former coach(es) Vladimir Shchegelov
Medal record
Men's artistic gymnastics
Representing  Ireland
European Championships
2018 Glasgow Pommel horse
Northern European Championships
2015 LimerickTeam
2015 LimerickPommel horse
Representing  Northern Ireland
Commonwealth Games
2018 Gold Coast Pommel horse

Rhys Joshua McClenaghan (born 21 July 1999) is an artistic gymnast competing internationally for Ireland.[4] He also competed for Northern Ireland at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.[5] Domestically, he competes at both the British and Irish national championships. He won the gold medal on the pommel horse at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2018 European Championships, pipping the reigning Olympic and two-time World Champion, Max Whitlock on both occasions.[6] [7] McClenaghan is the first Irish gymnast to compete in a European final and also the first to win a European medal.[8]

Career

He is coached by Luke Carson.[9]

When he was still technically a junior, he won the bronze medal in the 2016 British Artistic Gymnastics Championships pommel final behind Olympic medalists Louis Smith and Max Whitlock.[10][11] McClenaghan also won the first European Championships medal in history for Ireland, winning silver on the pommel horse at the 2016 Junior European Gymnastics Championship.[12]

At the 2018 Commonwealth Games held at the Gold Coast, Australia, McClenaghan won gold on the pommel horse, beating the reigning world and Olympic champion Max Whitlock by dint of higher execution score, after tying on overall scores. It was Northern Ireland's first medal for an artistic gymnast at the Commonwealth Games. [13][14] At the 2018 European Championships, McClenaghan won the gold medal and became Ireland's first ever European champion.[15][16]

McClenaghan formerly trained at Rathgael Gymnastics Club in Bangor until his coach was made redundant in June 2018. McClenaghan was forced to train in his back garden.[17] He then relocated to Dublin, upon receiving funding and accommodation from Gymnastics Ireland and Sport Ireland to train in the Sport Ireland Institute in Abbotstown.[18]

References

  1. ↑ "MCCLENAGHAN, Rhys (IRL)". International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
  2. ↑ "MCCLENAGHAN, Rhys (IRL)". International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
  3. ↑ "Euros a stepping-stone to Olympics for ambitious Rhys". RTE.ie. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  4. ↑ "MCCLENAGHAN, Rhys (IRL)". International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
  5. ↑ "McCleanaghan wins Northern Ireland's first Commonwealth Gold". Belfast Telegraph. 8 April 2018.
  6. ↑ Corr, Shauna (8 April 2018). "Northern Ireland gymnast Rhys McClenaghan 'pommels' Olympic champ Max Whitlock to take Commonwealth gold". Belfast Live.
  7. ↑ "Rhys McClenaghan takes pommel horse gold at Europeans". RTE.ie. 12 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  8. ↑ "Rhys McClenaghan takes pommel horse gold at Europeans". RTE.ie. 12 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  9. ↑ "Rhys McClenaghan, 16, wins British Championship bronze". BBC News. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  10. ↑ "McClenaghan and McAteer win British Championship bronze". BBC. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  11. ↑ "Gymnastics whizzkids Rhys McClenaghan and Ewan McAteer aiming high after British bronze joy - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk". Belfast Telegraph. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  12. ↑ "Rhys McClenaghan earns Ireland first ever European medal in gymnastics". The Irish News. 6 June 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  13. ↑ "McCleanaghan wins Northern Ireland's first Commonwealth Gold". Belfast Telegraph. 8 April 2018.
  14. ↑ Corr, Shauna (8 April 2018). "Northern Ireland gymnast Rhys McClenaghan 'pommels' Olympic champ Max Whitlock to take Commonwealth gold". Belfast Live.
  15. ↑ "Rhys McClenaghan wins pommel horse gold at European Championships". Belfast Telegraph. 12 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  16. ↑ "Rhys McClenaghan takes pommel horse gold at Europeans". RTE.ie. 12 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  17. ↑ Leonard, Victoria (26 June 2018). "Gold medal hero Rhys trains in back garden after being 'forced' out of gymnast club". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  18. ↑ "Euros a stepping-stone to Olympics for ambitious Rhys". RTE.ie. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
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