Rhys McClenaghan
Gymnastics
BIOGRAPHY
Rhys McClenaghan became Ireland’s first gymnastic medalist at the Olympic Games when he won the gold medal in the final of the Men’s Pommel at Paris 2024.
He started gymnastics aged six with Rathgael GC with his breakthrough coming in 2018 when he won Commonwealth and European gold on the pommel horse, beating the reigning Olympic champion Matt Whitlock on both occasions.
In 2019 while still in his teens, he became the first Irish gymnast to win a medal at World Championships (bronze).
In 2021 he became the first Irish gymnast to make an Olympic final. He was joint second highest qualifier in pommel but a fall proved costly in the final where he finished seventh.
GYMASTICS NEWS
Historic 4th place finish from Estella Volkoff in European Beam Final
Gymnastics Irish junior gymnast Estella Volkoff delivered a landmark performance at the 2026 European Junior Championships in Zagreb, finishing fourth in the balance beam final and making history as the first Irish gymnast ever to qualify for a top-eight European Championships beam final. Volkoff produced a superb routine in the final, narrowly missing out on [...]
EVENTS COMING UP IN AUGUST
Athletics World U20 Championships, Eugene, Oregon: 5-9 August European Athletics Championships, Birmingham: 10-16 August Lausanne Diamond League: 20-21 August Silesia Diamond League: 23 August Zurich Diamond League: 27 August Boxing European U19 Championships, Loznica, Serbia: 11-22 August Boxing Ireland U23 Championships, 7-22 August Cycling UEC Mountain Bike European Championships, Monteceneri, Switzerland: 30 July [...]
A growth mindset: RHYS MCCLENAGHAN – back on the horse
A growth mindset. The phrase is so liberally thrown around in high performance sport now that it is, sometimes, little more than a cliché so what exactly does ‘growth mindset’ mean, and why is it so vital? To witness its embodiment look no further than Ireland’s reigning and historic Olympic pommel champion Rhys McClenaghan. To [...]
LA28 Qualification Dates in 2026
ROAD TO LA ALREADY UNDERWAY! 2026 marks the beginning of the qualification journey for many sports as they look ahead to the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028. Qualifying for the Games, which take place from 14–30 July 2028, is challenging across all disciplines. Most sports require either direct qualification through specific events, qualification via [...]
Events coming up in May 2026
Athletics 2-3 May: World Athletics Relays, Gaborone, Botswana Boxing 3-10 May: Feliks Stamm Tournament, Warsaw, Poland Canoeing 29-31 May: Canoe Slalom World Cup 1, Ljubljana, Slovenia Cycling 1-3 May: Downhill & Cross-country Olympic World Series round 1, South Korea 22-24 May: Rás Tailteann, Ireland 22-24 May: Cross Country World Series, Czech Republic [...]
In The News – April 20th 2026
Gymnastics Gymnastics Ireland’s own Emma Slevin competed in the NCAA National Final Four on Saturday 18th April with her team, the Minnesota Golden Gophers. This is the first time Minnesota has made the Final Four in their history. Ranked No. 13 after the NCAA regular season, the Gophers upset No.4 UCLA and No.9 Arkansas in the [...]