McClenaghan selected for Ireland’s Olympic team

County Down gymnast Rhys McClenaghan is set to compete in his second Olympic Games after he was selected to represent Ireland in Paris this summer.

The 24-year old secured automatic qualification by retaining the pommel horse title at the World Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp in October 2023.

He will now compete in the pommel horse event on 27 July and 3 August at the Bercy Arena in the French capital.

McClenaghan made his first Olympic appearance in 2021 as he finished seventh in the pommel horse event in Tokyo.

McClenaghan, who won his first world title in Liverpool in 2022 and has also won three European gold medals, a Commonwealth silver medal as well as a world bronze medal, expressed his delight at being formally selected.

“It’s a huge honour to be selected for my second Olympic Games. It is the biggest show in the world, and I am looking forward to going out and performing to my best,” he said.

“My routine is both challenging and ambitious, which is what it needs to be in order to compete at this level.”

The Newtonards man made history by becoming the first Irish gymnast to reach an Olympic final in 2021, but an early fall saw him finish seventh with a score of 13.100.