Northern Irish athlete Rhys McClenaghan has won silver medal in the men's pommel horse event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
McClenaghan, who represented Ireland at the Tokyo Olympics last summer finished on a final score of 14.133 which was enough to secure him second place behind gold medalist Joe Fraser, who scored 14.833.
The poster boy of Irish gymnastics was looking to retain his title, having won gold in the pommel horse at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia. Initially, McClenaghan was banned from the Commonwealth Games due to his representing of Ireland in the Olympics, but the ban was subsequently overturned.
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The Newtownards native produced an excellent performance with the only minor blotch on his copybook being a small stumble in the middle of his routine. While the 23-year old recovered to complete his routine in emphatic fashion, he just couldn't get close enough to the Englishman Fraser.
McClenaghan's disappointment was clear to see when his routine was complete. Due to his slight stumble, he knew that it would be nearly impossible to topple the gold standard Fraser, who produced a near flawless display to take home the gold medal.
After his score was read out by the judges, McCleneghan and his team submitted an appeal to have his difficulty rating reviewed, as they felt it should have been higher than the 5.600 that the judges gave it. This appeal was swiftly rejected.
For McCleneghan his podium finish represents a timely return to form, after turning in less than stellar performances at his last two major events, which were the Olympic Games and the World Championships.
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