Olympic pommel horse champion Rhys McClenaghan: “[Surgery] was the only choice.”
History-making Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan may be out of competition at the moment, as he recovers from recent shoulder surgery, but that hasn’t slowed him down.
“At no time have I been off gymnastics. I’ve continued to train,” he said, according to a recent interview with the Belfast Telegraph.
McClenaghan, the first Irish gymnast to win both world and Olympic titles, underwent shoulder surgery earlier this summer. He says the operation was unavoidable after years of wear and tear in training.
“Carrying my body weight around all day on the pommel, pushing my body to the limit…it eventually caught up with me,” he said. “The recovery time is quite long, but it was the only choice.”
While he is likely to miss October’s World Championships, McClenaghan is far from done with his sport.
After the successful operation, he said, “I’ve been struggling with this injury for a while now, so I’m delighted that everything went to plan with the operation and I can make my way back to maintaining my spot as the best in the world at what I do.
“This is the reality of sport, and I love all of the challenges it throws my way. Champion mindset.”