Image source, Inpho

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McClenaghan has not competed since winning Olympic gold in Paris last year because of a shoulder injury

ByMatt Gault

BBC Sport NI senior journalist

While 2024 was the year in which Rhys McClenaghan achieved all of his dreams, 2025 served as a reminder of how injuries can threaten to derail athletes at their peak.

Last year, McClenaghan achieved his ultimate goal of becoming an Olympic champion, winning pommel horse gold for Ireland.

It was the culmination of a life's work and a glittering addition to a CV that already featured three European titles and two world golds. But as he left Paris with the sport's most coveted hardware around his neck, he was unaware of the difficult road ahead.

Having already missed this year's European Championships, the County Down gymnast decided it was time to address a shoulder injury that had been bothering him for a while.

While he had in the past battled through the pain barrier, the difficulty of performing everyday tasks like lifting milk out of the fridge helped him realise it was time to act. He underwent surgery in July, which denied him a bid for a third straight world title in Jakarta in October.

McClenaghan has not competed since the Olympics. By his reckoning, it is his longest time out of competition, but things are already looking up.

Having been appointed MBE for his services to gymnastics in the New Year Honours - which he describes as a "huge honour" - the 26-year-old has started his official competition preparation for his return to action at the World Cup in Baku in March.

"It wasn't the year I'd planned," McClenaghan told BBC Sport NI, reflecting on 2025.

"It was in some aspects, I'd wanted to take a small step away from the sport. Just a few life things were being focused on, I moved in with my girlfriend and I wanted to try different things. Dancing with the Stars came up and I jumped at that opportunity.

"That was the plan initially but the injury was the overarching theme for the year, unfortunately.

"Although there were plenty of happy times outside of gymnastics, I was still going into the gym every day. When I was at the height of the injury, I was still training, but I was just so limited by the injury itself and it was, I guess, a year of physical pain to be quite frank."

'Injury made me realise how fragile my dream is'

Image source, Inpho

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McClenaghan became the first gymnast to win Olympic gold for Ireland in Paris

A spell away from the pommel has naturally facilitated deeper introspection.

"This has made me realise how fragile this dream that I continue to live out is and sometimes those injuries come at a good time to make you realise how serious you need to take the training, recovery and rehab," he added.

"It truly is a full-time gig and if you're not all in, injuries are going to happen and mistakes will be made so I can say now that I'm all in in gymnastics, and that really excites me."

He added: "I've spent time reflecting on the win in Paris but now I'm ready to move on to more competitions and success in the future.

"That's what really excites me. I'm not dismissing the fact that I went out and accomplished my lifelong dream, but I feel like there's more to do in the sport."

Fit and healthy again, McClenaghan is now building towards an exciting 2026. Not only is he aiming to compete at four World Cups, there are the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow before the World Championships in Rotterdam in October.

"It's a great opportunity because the weight is kind of off," he said.

"It's not to qualify for anything but ultimately I'm trying to do is to go to every competition to win it.

"It's always an easy answer for me to give but it's a nice time to try out a brand new routine, to get used to competing again and dust off a few cobwebs and show that I'm maintaining my spot as the best in the world.

"My job as a gymnast is to keep progressing and keep those pesky injuries at bay. It should be a really nice year ahead of me."

Image source, Getty Images

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McClenaghan says he is looking forward to seeing Max Whitlock back in competition now that the Great Britain gymnast has come out of retirement

For McClenaghan, having the surgery this year hopefully paves the way for an uninterrupted two-year build-up to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"It was a thought that crossed my mind when I opted to get the surgery.

"We've got the time now. We'd rather miss out on 2025 as opposed to push through an injury that will haunt me until 2028. You need to think big picture sometimes."

He added: "In terms of my gymnastics, I'm going to take it competition by competition, really work hard and assess how I've been competing and performing."

One of the athletes hoping to deny McClenaghan a second Olympic crown will be Great Britain's three-time gold medallist Max Whitlock, who has come out of retirement after stepping away from the sport following the Paris Games.

"I don't blame him because I spent a bit of time away from gymnastics with my injury and I missed it," said McClenaghan.

"I don't blame him for stepping away and being like 'you know what, this is actually a pretty awesome job, I don't want to stop this'. Fair play to him and I look forward to seeing him in the next pommel final, hopefully."

Regardless of the opposition, McClenaghan is determined to win another gold.

"The ultimate goal, similar to the Paris Olympics where it was my most difficult routine, is to peak at that right time, on the day when it matters.

"That's certainly the goal for the LA Olympics, to piece together this puzzle of a routine and hopefully produce a world's best again."