RHYS MCCLENAGHAN HAS claimed gold for Ireland at the Paris Olympics after winning his pommel horse final.
McClenaghan’s routine was awarded a career-best score of 15.533 by the judges.
The two-time world champion from Co. Down is Ireland’s third gold medallist of these Paris games after swimmer Daniel Wiffen and rowing team Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy.
McClenaghan’s success in this gymnastics final yielded Ireland’s 14th ever Olympic gold medal and saw him become Ireland’s first ever Olympic medallist in his sport.
Paris 2024: Rhys McClenaghan completes his pommel horse routine and he looks to be happy with how he's done. The judges are too! He scores 15.533 and is in the gold medal position.#RTESport #Paris2024
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 3, 2024
📺 Watch https://t.co/XnOP6grnB7
📱Updates https://t.co/7oDcUYslbX pic.twitter.com/ndA3MfkNbp
McClenaghan was the fourth gymnast to perform his routine in Saturday’s final and overtook then-leader Nariman Kurbanov, whose score of 15.433 was enough for the Kazakh to take silver.
American Stephen Nedoroscik, who earned the joint highest score of the heats alongside McClenaghan, took bronze with 15.300.
Back-to-back Olympic champion Max Whitlock of Great Britain finished outside the medal spots in fourth with a score of 15.200.
McClenaghan’s score of 15.533 was a personal best and proved unassailable in what had been billed as one of the most hotly contested finals of the entire Olympic Games.
The Newtownards native increased the difficulty of his routine to 6.6 and earned an 8.9 for his execution, the highest of any of the eight finalists.
McClenaghan, 25, broke into tears as he was presented with his Olympic gold medal.
