Rhys McClenaghan, Olympic pommel horse gold medalist, to miss gymnastics worlds
'I'm disappointed to miss this year's World Championships, but my priority is to maintain my place as the best in the world on pommel horse," he said, according to a representative. "My goal is not only to retain my Olympic title in LA 2028 but to continue striving for gold in every major competition. This surgery was necessary to ensure I can perform at the highest level for years to come. Setbacks are part of elite sport, but my mindset is about turning challenges — as I have done before — into opportunities to raise my performance.'
McClenaghan, 26, became the first gymnast to win an Olympic medal for Ireland when he took pommel horse gold in Paris.
He's also the lone artistic gymnast to win a world championships medal for Ireland, taking pommel horse bronze in 2019 and gold at the last two editions in 2022 and 2023.
McClenaghan is from Northern Ireland and represents Ireland at the Olympics and worlds. Northern Ireland does not compete separately at those events, so athletes from Northern Ireland can choose to compete for Ireland or Great Britain.
He previously underwent left shoulder surgery in November 2018 after a labral tear.
The last gymnast other than McClenaghan to win a global pommel horse title was American Stephen Nedoroscik at the 2021 Worlds. Nedoroscik also took bronze at the Paris Games.
Ilona Maher, Stephen Nedoroscik finish 2nd, 4th on Dancing with the Stars
Seven Olympians have won Dancing with the Stars.
Nick Zaccardi,
behind McClenaghan and Nariman Kurbanov of Kazakhstan.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Top shots at No. 13, 2025 Open Championship, Rd. 4
Check out the best shots from Royal Portrush's par-3 13th hole from the final round of the 2025 Open Championship.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Will Claressa Shields Vs. Laila Ali Ever Happen?
For years now, there has been a competitive rivalry between two of women's boxing greats in Claressa Shields and Laila Ali. Ali is a 2021 inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Her career boasts an undefeated record after 24 fights. Of those bouts, she has 21 knockouts. In Ali's day, she was nothing to snooze at. Hell, she was the furthest thing to snooze at. And up until recent years, no one would rival such greatness. What's in a name? When it comes to Shields, she has been making her way for years. With a professional record of 16-0, she's seeking to give her self-proclaimed nickname legitimacy as the 'Greatest Woman of All-Time' (G.W.O.A.T). For these two ladies, their relationship began as a mentor-mentee type deal. The two began as very complimentary of one another. However, a 2019 The Breakfast Club interview with Ali changed everything. She said, 'I don't think there's anyone there for me that would give me a good challenge.' Shields took exception to that notion, especially after her gold medal success in the most recent Olympics at the time. Since those comments, Shields has made it her point to not only win her fights but also become a box office attraction for women's boxing. She is as charming as she is strong in the ring. With that type of quality, she seeks to sell her fights in ways that women just haven't before. Most recently, Ali was asked once again whether or not she would take on Shields in a match. She responded, saying, 'Unless somebody has $15-$20 million, don't even call me about this.' A few days later, Shields seemingly called Ali's bluff, producing a video in which she presented a check for $15 million to pay Ali to sign on to fight her. The business of boxing Now, as a marketing ploy, I find this to be genius! The G.W.O.A.T is obviously promoting herself through this. But with athletes having the ego that they do, fans have to wonder, 'Will Ali take the bait?' At 47, Ali is 17 years Shields' senior. From an athletic standpoint, we're fine to assume that Ali won't be what she once was. However, there's always that possibility that for one night, she can be. That's the type of selling point you can have for such a generational fight such as this. If Shields can back up all of her smack talk, she will be known to be someone who was never writing checks her fists couldn't cash. As I enjoy saying, I see the vision. Do I think this fight will actually happen? I do. We've seen crazier things happen. So, if that $15 million is legit, you absolutely have to consider it from Ali's side. If this does go down, it's bound to be the biggest women's combat fight of all time. With that potential riding on it, I ask this: Why not?The post Will Claressa Shields Vs. Laila Ali Ever Happen? appeared first on Blavity.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Today's NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for July 26, #306
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles. Today's Connections: Sports Edition includes some Olympics-connected sports. The yellow and green categories should be simple, but read on for hints and the answers if you get stuck. Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That's a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn't show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic's own app. Or you can continue to play it free online. Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta Hints for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups Here are four hints for the groupings in today's Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group. Yellow group hint: Tony Hawk supplies. Green group hint: Equine. Blue group hint: Olympics heroes. Purple group hint: Newbies. Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups Yellow group: Parts of a skateboard. Green group: Gaits of a horse. Blue group: First names of US track and field stars. Purple group: First-year NFL head coaches. Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words What are today's Connections: Sports Edition answers? The yellow words in today's Connections The theme is parts of a skateboard. The four answers are deck, grip tape, truck and wheels. The green words in today's Connections The theme is gaits of a horse. The four answers are canter, gallop, trot and walk. The blue words in today's Connections The theme is first names of US track and field stars. The four answers are Gabby, Noah, Sha'Carri and Sydney. The purple words in today's Connections The theme is first-year NFL head coaches. The four answers are Coen, Glenn, Moore and Schottenheimer.
