Paris 2024 Gymnastics: All results, as Rhys McClenaghan wins emotional gold in men's pommel horse final
Rhys McClenaghan added Olympic gold to his two world titles as he won the men's pommel horse title at the gymnastics apparatus final on Saturday (3 August) at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Representing Ireland, McClenaghan scored 15.533 to beat Nariman Kurbanov of Kazakhstan into second (15.433), while Stephen Nedoroscik of Team USA secured bronze with 15.300.
Team GB's Max Whitlock finished just off the podium in fourth (15.200) in his final Olympic Games.
The pommel horse final opened with a monster opening score from Kurbanov, the 2022 Asian Games bronze medallist, scoring 15.433, a hefty 0.433 above his qualification score of 15.000, which brought him into this final in sixth place.
It was going to take some going to beat that, but the next gymnast up, Team GB's Whitlock, was the two-time gold medallist on the apparatus. Competing in front of five-year-old daughter Willow, Whitlock completed his super-difficult routine but a couple of loose moments in a final as tight as this meant he finished off the podium in fourth.
The result meant he just missed out on an Olympic history-making moment in becoming the first gymnast to win four medals on the same apparatus, having secured bronze at his first Games at London 2012 and gold at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
McClenaghan, of Northern Ireland, was top scorer in qualification but still needed to hold it together to go again to beat Kurbanov's epic score.
Performing an extraordinary routine full of difficulty and superb extension, the 25-year-old put his head in his hands on finishing the routine, before bursting into tears on the shoulder of his coach, Luke Carson.
Superman Stephen Nedoroscik does it again
There were still more gymnasts to go, however, including Team USA's new viral sensation Nedoroscik. The 'superman' character amused many with his super-chilled phase in the men's team final in which he looked like he was snoozing until it was his turn to perform.
He then removed his glasses before stepping up to complete an epic routine on the one apparatus on which he competed in Paris, to help his side to a history-making bronze medal.
Today he was competing on pommel horse for individual honours, and completed a clean routine to claim the final medal position on the podium ahead of Whitlock.
Gymnastics: Men's pommel horse podium
Gold: Rhys McClenaghan, Ireland 15.533
Silver: Nariman Kurbanov, Kazakhstan 15.433
Bronze: Stephen Nedoroscik, USA 15.300