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Rhys McClenaghan ready to push the limits in quest to become one of gymnastics' greats
Image source, Inpho
Rhys McClenaghan says he is ready to push himself to the limit in his quest to become one of the greatest gymnasts of all time.
The Newtownards native aims to secure a second European Championship pommel horse title in Basel this week.
The 21-year-old Commonwealth champion is also expected to be one of Team Ireland's biggest medal contenders at this summer's Tokyo Olympics.
"The target is always to take that gold medal," said McClenaghan.
"That's what we're preparing for and this is why we're pushing a very big routine, this is a new routine with a new skill and we're pushing the difficulty.
"With that comes an extra risk but that's what you need to take to be able to come out on top."
Thursday's men's pommel horse qualifying event in the Swiss city will see McClenaghan return to competitive gymnastics for the first time in the best part of two years.
And while the absence of competition in 2020 due to the pandemic was undoubtedly a blow, McClenaghan feels as though the postponement of the Tokyo Games allowed him to "take a step back mentally".
Now, with return of the European Championships, he told Radio Ulster's Sportsound Extra Time he is ready to pour everything he has into his pursuit of joining the pantheon of gymnastic greats.
"Everybody wants that gold medal, so it's not going to be easy - it's a very competitive sport and you need to push to your limits to be in with a chance to win that gold medal," added McClenaghan, who is hoping to add to his 2018 European title this week.
Image source, Getty Images
"That's exactly what I'm doing, I'm giving it my all. I won the bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships, which was a history-making event as the first ever for the country.
"It's a bronze medal, it's not the top spot, it's not being dubbed as the greatest to have ever done it.
"That's me showing that it doesn't even stop at winning a gold medal, it goes beyond that. I want to be going down in history alongside some of the greatest gymnasts ever.
"I feel like that's the standard that I'm setting myself. If I'm setting the standard of being better than everyone currently, then I mighty be setting it lower than what I'm capable of, because I might be capable of being the greatest ever."