There can only ever be one first Irish Olympic medal winner in gymnastics, and Rhys McClenaghan is now standing in that dream realm of his own, crowning his moment of glory in gold inside the Arena Bercy in Paris on Saturday night.
It was his moment of destiny too, McClenaghan again balancing his incredibly cool nerve and biting ambition with another dazzling display of excellence on the pommel horse – winning Ireland’s third gold medal of the Games, and there’s still another week to go.
It was just before 6.0pm local time when the young man from Newtownards took centre stage for his routine. Up fourth of the eight finalists, his score of 15.533 was enough to seal the gold medal as he increased his execution score to 8.933, and also his difficulty to 6.600.
After he dismounted McClenaghan raised both arms and afforded himself a shout of relief, then briefly put his head in his hands as the importance of his own flawless 50-second routine started to sink it.
Such is the Zen and the art of being Rhys McClenaghan.
“It feels like a dream, it’s a dream well-earned and I just can’t believe it’s happened,” he said later, magnificently articulate as always in describing what the gold medal meant to him.
“It always felt like it was going to happen but I wasn’t sure when. I didn’t know that I’d won when I landed, but I knew that I’d done my job. I knew I went through my most difficult routine that I could do on this day. And that’s where the tears and emotions came from really.
“And any one of those eight finalists could have taken gold. So to be a part of that is absolutely incredible.”
Nariman Kurbanov from Kazakhstan was up first, the 26-year-old scoring 15.434 and laying down an early marker with his slowly soaring routine which clearly impressed the judges. It would be good enough to win him silver.
Then came Max Whitlock, the 31-year-old British gymnast producing an amazing handstand mid routine, yet his score of 15.000 appeared to slightly disappoint. He would finish in fourth. Whitlock was seeking to become the first gymnast to win three pommel horse Olympic gold medals in a row, adding to those won in Rio and Tokyo.
Up after McClenaghan was Stephen Nedoroscik, the 25-year-old from the US. The 2021 world champion’s one-handed twists mid routine clearly impressed the judges too, but his score of 15.300 was not enough to trouble McClenaghan and it left him in third.
So McClenaghan also extends Ireland’s Olympic medal record into a seventh sport – joining those won in athletics, boxing, swimming, sailing, rowing and equestrian. It’s the first time three different Irish athletes have won gold at the same Games, McClenaghan just the 11th Irish name in our 100 years of Olympic participation as an independent State to win gold.
The 25-year-old has only been growing in confidence since his Olympic quest fell short in Tokyo three years ago. All that was on display here with his routine brilliantly executed under the circumstances as McClenaghan was embraced afterwards by Luke Carson, his coach of the last 10 years now.
“I literally dreamed that I scored 15.5,” he said. “But I never dreamed that I’ve won, which is weird, but I’m not one to look into dreams like that. I just think it has been part of this plan, part of what we’ve been aiming for so many years, since I started training with Luke. You know, that’s 10 years ago, and when I started with him, there was a 10-year plan to win an Olympic gold medal. And here it is today.
“There’s the tiniest little hesitation during that routine where you can either go for the difficult skill towards the end of the routine, or you don’t, and do the routine I’ve done in qualifications. That would have been a 15.2. So, yeah, I had to suck it up, I had to get it done, put that new skill in, and it worked out today because I came away with a personal best score. And, yeah, I can’t ask for more than that.”
In the press conference afterwards, he first took a seat and stared down at his medal.
“It’s better than imagined, and it’s got a piece of the Eiffel Tower. And I love Paris so much. It feels like it just was meant to be this, this day. I love Paris. I love seeing that Eiffel Tower. It never gets boring. And now I’ve got a piece of it hanging around my neck attached to an Olympic gold medal. That’s absurd to me.”
So far in Paris, Kellie Harrington is already guaranteed a bronze in lightweight boxing, and will look to upgrade that either silver or gold in her semi-final later on Saturday night.
In swimming, Daniel Wiffen has already won gold in the 800m freestyle and will go into the 1,500m final as overwhelming favourite. Mona McSharry took bronze in the 100m breaststroke, while rowers Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch won bronze in the men’s doubles before Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy won their second gold in the lightweight double sculls.
Ireland’s best Olympic medal record was the six won in the London in 2012, which has now been matched, with more to come, as early as Sunday and Wiffen’s 1,500m final.
Last Sunday week, McClenaghan celebrated his 25th birthday inside the Athletes’ Village, saying he was already living his dream.
He fully understands was this moment means in other ways too. His hopes of making the Olympic podium in Tokyo ended after 10 seconds when he fell chest-first on to the horse and ended up seventh.
So, seven years ago after announcing his arrival at age 18, beating Whitlock to win gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, he adds to his eight championship medals in all (two world championship gold and one bronze, three European gold, plus Commonwealth Games gold and silver).
There was a telling moment when he met British gymnast Louis Smith afterwards, who won the pommel horse in London in 2012. McClenaghan had visited the Games to see the opening ceremony as a 13-year-old.
“Seeing him just standing right there in my Olympic moment, when his Olympic moment was my inspiration for my entire career. And that right there is a working example of that inspiration working and that trickle-down effect.
“There might be a kid in the crowd there that is saying, ‘Jesus, that was amazing. That was so good. I want to do that’. And that might stick in their brain and into whatever sport they do, whatever job they do, career path they do, and that might inspire them to be the best they can possibly be. So that shows the power of these Olympic Games.
“And I want to do as much for this sport as possible. After this medal, I want to bring it to, hopefully, every club in Ireland. I want to be really, really active in inspiring that younger generation, because this is responsibility on my shoulders.
“I’m going to be inspiring, hopefully. And I want as many kids to touch this medal and see that it’s a reality as much as possible.”
Asked how he planned to celebrate in the City of Lights, he suggested a visit to O’Sullivan’s bar, a base for Team Ireland supporters.
“Just see my friends and family, and yeah, have my first drink in six months, maybe seven months. Since January 1st. I stopped drink, stopped eating pizza. So I’ll have a pizza and a beer and be happy.”
There can only ever be one first Olympic medal winner in gymnastics for Ireland.
Take a bow Rhys McClenaghan.
