Rhys McClenaghan: Northern Ireland gymnast wins gold in World Cup series

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, McClenaghan won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games

Rhys McClenaghan has won gold on the pommel horse at the FIG Apparatus World Cup series in Cairo.

The Newtownards gymnast's victory comes after he took silver in the competition in Doha a fortnight ago.

McClenaghan had qualified in first place for the final with a score of 15.066.

In the final, he scored 14.966, which was slightly higher than the score of 14.993 that he produced in Doha.

Harutyun Merdinyan finished second with Ahmad Abu Al Soud coming third.

McClenaghan, who won bronze at the 2019 Worlds, came seventh in the Olympic final after falling early in his routine.

The 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medal winner suffered a similar fate at October's World Championships, going out when he slipped during his qualifying routine - later saying that organisers had wiped chalk off the apparatus before his routine after an earlier competitor had tested positive for Covid.