MESSAGE SENT
Rhys McClenaghan reveals hilarious messages his coach sends ‘every now and again’ after emotional Olympic gold medal win
McClenaghan is eyeing up conquering another discipline in Los Angeles
RHYS McCLENAGHAN will never forget winning an Olympic gold medal - and will be reminded by his coach in case he does.
The Irish gymnast achieved redemption for his slip in Tokyo by taking gold on the pommel horse in Paris.
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On Twitter, he revealed that his coach Lucas Carson occasionally reminds him of his accomplishment on WhatsApp.
McClenaghan shared a screenshot of one such exchange on Thursday, with it showing a pair of texts from his coach which read: "Wtf like" followed by "Rhys your Olympic champion".
In response, the Newtownards man sent a voice note, although he did not disclose what he says in it.
The 25-year-old's gold was one of seven medals won by Irish athletes in Paris, an all-time record haul that bested their previous best of six at London 2012.
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Now that he has achieved that goal, McClenaghan is eyeing up conquering another discipline in Los Angeles in 2028.
McClenaghan said: “Max [Whitlock] is now retired, I think everybody else in that final will continue and that’s an exciting prospect because it means we’ll all be back battling it out for years to come now.
“Certainly the other two guys on the podium, they both said they’d continue to LA so I look forward to other competitions where we’ll be battling it out.
“I’m looking at doing floor, doing all-around – all six of the events in gymnastics – I want to do that almost for fun.
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“I enjoy it and I feel like, I’m glad I’ve accomplished this in pommel horse now and I can switch my focus a little bit to the other events and possibly help out a gymnastics team in Ireland and contribute in as many ways as possible.
“Floor would be my second strongest event for sure.”
It feels like a dream, says Olympic gold medallist Rhys ON CLOUD NINE McClenaghan after pommel horse win
Asked if he had the potential to win a medal in the other events, he said: “Yeah if I’m going to be compete in apparatus I want it to be medal-worthy.
"So floor definitely has that possibility but there’s a lot of work to be done on it so hopefully I can start that soon.”
But, if he is already looking forward, he admitted that his triumph meant all the more considering the heartbreak he had experienced three years earlier.
McClenaghan said: “Of course it does. Any time there is a disappointment and then it’s contrasted with a huge success it makes that success so more enjoyable.
“That is where that flood of emotion comes from because it justifies all the times that you’ve failed with that one little success and that’s a great metaphor for life almost.”