OLYMPIC CHAMPION RHYS McClenaghan insists he has the belief and motivation to return to the top after missing out on the World Championships final in Rotterdam.
The Newtownards gymnast finished seventh at the European Championships in Zagreb two months ago, before falling short of qualification for the final in the Netherlands, leaving him disappointed with a season that has not matched his ambitions – albeit it was a year of recovery, too, after he had shoulder surgery in 2025.
As one of the two reserves for the final, he hung around until the end of the championships last weekend, then posted on Instagram about his determination to get better by using those results as crucial elements in his re-emergence in the medal race.
Soon after, however, he found himself rejecting suggestions that he should consider walking away from the sport, with former Olympic medallist Filip Ude advising the 27-year-old to step aside for younger competitors such as Hamlet Manukyan, who won worlds gold at 19 and also won gold at the Europeans last year.
‘You are not the best any more, and that is ok,’ Ude wrote. ‘Admit to yourself and take time for yourself and just enjoy your life and let it go my friend.’
McClenaghan, who won Olympic gold in Paris two years ago, highlighted the 40-year-old Croatian’s response in a follow-up post.
Ude, who won silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, later clarified that he meant no disrespect and described McClenaghan as ‘a legend’.
But speaking in Dublin on Monday in his role as Red Bull ambassador, McClenaghan said that he would draw confidence from those who have backed him throughout his career rather than let negative commentators distract him from his mission.
“I was sharing my disappointment with the outcome and the result, so that’s why I wasn’t scared, it wasn’t like a private message that I’m outing him here or anything, it was a public message.
“And yeah, he won a silver medal back in 2008, and since then hasn’t won any major medals but has remained in the sport.
“He’s one of the older gymnasts that has always been trying to make the pommel final for a long time, and I guess what he was showing to me, he’s almost like a representative of the negative outlook on my career at the minute.
“I’d say that’s very minimal to the amount of positive outlooks that are on my career at the minute too. The amount of positive support and encouraging words that I’ve received in the last few days have been definitely outweighing those negative comments.
“But I guess you can see him as a representative of the negative thoughts, and I think a mindset like that, there’s no coincidence of him not achieving any major medals since 2008.”
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Olympic Champion and Red Bull Athlete Rhys McClenaghan was speaking today following the conclusion of the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships where he placed 10th overall. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
The apparatus scoring format has now changed, with routines now counting eight skills instead of the previous 10. He believes younger gymnasts have adapted quickly because the shorter routines are familiar from their junior careers, while established competitors have had to reshape routines developed under the old system.
There has also been a move towards electronic judging, with deductions recorded digitally during the apparatus finals in Rotterdam. McClenaghan welcomes all of these developments but would like to see even greater transparency around individual judges’ decisions and any reviews that follow being made public.
McClenaghan spent much of 2025 training through pain before undergoing surgery and beginning the long process of recovery. He now feels he is moving beyond that period and adapting again to the demands of elite training.
“I feel like I’m really coming out the other side of it,” he said. “My body’s adapting again to training, adapting to the routine, to the training load in general, and hopefully 2027 will be a lot more pain-free.”
– Future –
His focus will soon turn to qualification for the LA Olympics, with the process beginning in the new year with the World Series and the World Championships in Chengdu, China, the key events on the road to the Games.
Only three Olympic places are available to pommel horse specialists through the relevant qualification route, and winning the World Series would secure automatic qualification to the final of the World Championships.
McClenaghan knows from experience that there is little room for error, having had to win the 2023 World Championships to secure his place at Paris 2024, while his dreams of a medal at his debut Olympic appearance in Tokyo ended when his finger got caught on the apparatus.
“I need to maintain [my] standard, I need to be one of the best in the world, undoubtedly, to even just get my ticket to the Olympics,” he said.
“I’m confident I can do it, for sure. I’m only seeing the positives and only seeing the pathway to becoming the best in the world again.
“The pommel horse standard is probably at an all-time high, if I’m honest. The rule changes, the scoring system, these are all contributing factors to the standard being really high, and then also just the gymnasts are good. There’s the simple fact of that.
“I’m the current Olympic champion, and I should remember that. And I’ve built my way to the top before, I’ve gone through disappointments.
“I understand how fragile the results in this sport can be, you know, one small mistake is the difference, and that small mistake shouldn’t really define you.
“We’ve seen the contrast of Tokyo and Paris, like the smallest of margins can make such a huge difference in the results, so seeing it as catastrophising these results would not benefit me in any way.”
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'I'm only seeing the positives and only seeing the pathway to becoming the best in the world again'
OLYMPIC CHAMPION RHYS McClenaghan insists he has the belief and motivation to return to the top after missing out on the World Championships final in Rotterdam.
The Newtownards gymnast finished seventh at the European Championships in Zagreb two months ago, before falling short of qualification for the final in the Netherlands, leaving him disappointed with a season that has not matched his ambitions – albeit it was a year of recovery, too, after he had shoulder surgery in 2025.
As one of the two reserves for the final, he hung around until the end of the championships last weekend, then posted on Instagram about his determination to get better by using those results as crucial elements in his re-emergence in the medal race.
Soon after, however, he found himself rejecting suggestions that he should consider walking away from the sport, with former Olympic medallist Filip Ude advising the 27-year-old to step aside for younger competitors such as Hamlet Manukyan, who won worlds gold at 19 and also won gold at the Europeans last year.
‘You are not the best any more, and that is ok,’ Ude wrote. ‘Admit to yourself and take time for yourself and just enjoy your life and let it go my friend.’
McClenaghan, who won Olympic gold in Paris two years ago, highlighted the 40-year-old Croatian’s response in a follow-up post.
Ude, who won silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, later clarified that he meant no disrespect and described McClenaghan as ‘a legend’.
But speaking in Dublin on Monday in his role as Red Bull ambassador, McClenaghan said that he would draw confidence from those who have backed him throughout his career rather than let negative commentators distract him from his mission.
“I was sharing my disappointment with the outcome and the result, so that’s why I wasn’t scared, it wasn’t like a private message that I’m outing him here or anything, it was a public message.
“And yeah, he won a silver medal back in 2008, and since then hasn’t won any major medals but has remained in the sport.
“I’d say that’s very minimal to the amount of positive outlooks that are on my career at the minute too. The amount of positive support and encouraging words that I’ve received in the last few days have been definitely outweighing those negative comments.
“But I guess you can see him as a representative of the negative thoughts, and I think a mindset like that, there’s no coincidence of him not achieving any major medals since 2008.”
The apparatus scoring format has now changed, with routines now counting eight skills instead of the previous 10. He believes younger gymnasts have adapted quickly because the shorter routines are familiar from their junior careers, while established competitors have had to reshape routines developed under the old system.
There has also been a move towards electronic judging, with deductions recorded digitally during the apparatus finals in Rotterdam. McClenaghan welcomes all of these developments but would like to see even greater transparency around individual judges’ decisions and any reviews that follow being made public.
McClenaghan spent much of 2025 training through pain before undergoing surgery and beginning the long process of recovery. He now feels he is moving beyond that period and adapting again to the demands of elite training.
“I feel like I’m really coming out the other side of it,” he said. “My body’s adapting again to training, adapting to the routine, to the training load in general, and hopefully 2027 will be a lot more pain-free.”
– Future –
His focus will soon turn to qualification for the LA Olympics, with the process beginning in the new year with the World Series and the World Championships in Chengdu, China, the key events on the road to the Games.
Only three Olympic places are available to pommel horse specialists through the relevant qualification route, and winning the World Series would secure automatic qualification to the final of the World Championships.
McClenaghan knows from experience that there is little room for error, having had to win the 2023 World Championships to secure his place at Paris 2024, while his dreams of a medal at his debut Olympic appearance in Tokyo ended when his finger got caught on the apparatus.
“I need to maintain [my] standard, I need to be one of the best in the world, undoubtedly, to even just get my ticket to the Olympics,” he said.
“The pommel horse standard is probably at an all-time high, if I’m honest. The rule changes, the scoring system, these are all contributing factors to the standard being really high, and then also just the gymnasts are good. There’s the simple fact of that.
“I’m the current Olympic champion, and I should remember that. And I’ve built my way to the top before, I’ve gone through disappointments.
“I understand how fragile the results in this sport can be, you know, one small mistake is the difference, and that small mistake shouldn’t really define you.
“We’ve seen the contrast of Tokyo and Paris, like the smallest of margins can make such a huge difference in the results, so seeing it as catastrophising these results would not benefit me in any way.”
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gymnastics Irish Sport October Olympics pommel horse Rhys McClenaghan world gymnastics championships