Mark Gallagher on the Irish gymnast who is setting new standards
World finalist McClenaghan is shining light for Irish gymnasts
‘Gymnastics is a sport that makes kids mature faster’
RHYS McCLENAGHAN’S youthfulness belies a maturity beyond his years. The wise head on his shoulders has helped him to go places where no Irish gymnast has gone before.
The idea of consistently breaking new ground has never fazed him, though. Instead, he’s embraced it. A few months ago, during an interview with Newstalk’s Off The Ball, he accepted that he was making history for Ireland every time he went out in competition.
Last year, he became the first Irish gymnast to win a gold medal at the European Championships. A few weeks later, he won gold at the Commonwealth Games. If his sport hadn’t taken notice already, they will after what he achieved last Sunday in Stuttgart.
McClenaghan’s qualified for the Pommel Horse final at the World Championships, meaning that this coming Saturday, he will be the first Irish competitor in a world gymnastics final. It also booked his ticket for the Tokyo Olympics, where, fitness permitting, he will travel as one of Ireland’s top medal prospects. ‘I’m going to the Olympic Games!!! A dream come true,’ tweeted McClenaghan. ‘I started my Olympic campaign at eight years old, this did not come easy. So much relief right now.’
The road hasn’t exactly been smooth. Take last year’s World Championships in Doha. Given that he was going into them as European and Commonwealth champion, McClenaghan was one of the favourites for gold on the Pommel Horse.
However, a shoulder problem derailed his efforts. A parabolic cyst had grown on a nerve in his shoulder, which meant that his arms couldn’t move freely during the routine.
He had surgery in Santry Sports Clinic last November that led to six months of painstaking rehabilitation. It makes what he has done in Stuttgart even sweeter.
Technically, the Newtownards native’s performance to qualify second for Saturday’s final, just behind Britain’s Matt Whitlock, hasn’t got him to the Olympics yet as official confirmation from the international gymnastics federation (FIG) won’t be known until after the conclusion of the World Championships on Sunday, but it’s fairly safe to assume that McClenaghan will have one of the places, especially if he makes the podium, as expected.
Having started gymnastics as a six-year-old, inspired by an aunt who was involved in the sport, two years later, he was out in the back garden, practising on a pommel horse that his father had built him. By his own admission, he was a pretty active child, into almost every sport. But they all fell by the wayside at an early age as he concentrated solely on gymnastics.
‘I was juggling a lot of different sports but at the age of eight, I made the decision by myself that I wanted to focus on gymnastics,’ McClenaghan explained last year. ‘I felt the other sports were holding me back from what I really loved. It was a very mature decision, but I think gymnastics is the sort of sport that make kids mature at a younger age.’
Under the watchful eye of his coach Luke Carson, McClenaghan began to make waves and when he was invited to compete at the British Championships at 16, it suddenly felt like the idea of a top-level career in the sport was a realistic prospect. And in the past four years, that is how it turned out. But there had been other bumps on the road. Last year, Carson was made redundant from Rathgael gym in Bangor, because of financial difficulties at the sports club.
McClenaghan went into the garden shed, dusted down the old pommel horse that his father had built a decade before and shared a video on social media of himself training in his back garden.
Posted below the video was a message, which underlined McClenaghan’s strength of character and determination. ‘I did say nothing would stop me. This brings back memories of using this pommel horse in my garden when I was nine, because I wanted to spend more time on what I enjoyed most. Thanks everybody for the supportive messages, staying positive no matter what.’
Coming at a time when McClenaghan had just climbed to the top of his sport, there were fears that this setback could derail his ambitions for Tokyo. Sport Ireland and Gymnastics Ireland intervened though, sourcing an apartment in Dublin for McClenaghan, close to the Sports Campus, which is now his training base. Rather than impacting negatively, the situation has moved him to the next level.
Apart from the facilities in Abbotstown, which McClenaghan suggests are among the best in the world, he also has access to all the services at the Irish Sports Institute, including nutritionists, physios and sports psychologist, Ella McCabe, whom he leans on regularly.
‘I think that period was more a test of my character than anything,’ McClenaghan recalled of that time. ‘It shows that I can go through any situation, still come out on top and get gold medals.’
He has also highlighted the importance of Carson and his positivity in his rise to the top of the sport. As he eyes a world title on Saturday and a possible medal at next year’s Tokyo Olympics, McClenaghan is keen that gymnastics can become a viable sporting option for the next generation of Irish kids.
‘I feel like I am forging a path for the next generation. It’s one of my goals to preach to everyone how great gymnastics is. You don’t just have to pursue an elite pathway. Participation is growing and I want to encourage that because it is a great way to keep your mind and body healthy.’
In this impressive young man from Co. Down, the sport may have the perfect role model to entice more kids into the sport.