Two years after hoovering up all the gold, Rhys McClenaghan confronts more modest targets

These are unexpectedly testing times in the career of Rhys McClenaghan. It’s just over two years since he became the first gymnast in history to simultaneously hold the Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth titles on a single apparatus. In recent months, however, his fall from the pommel horse podium has been irrefutably swift.

When McClenaghan won his Olympic gold at the 2024 Games in Paris – his last podium appearance – his score of 15.333 not only placed him well above all of his rivals, it also suggested his dominance might well continue all the way through to Los Angeles in 2028.