The Northern Irish gymnast, Rhys McClenaghan, is poised for a thrilling final in the pommel horse event at the Tokyo Olympics, after a dominant qualifying performance.
If the scores in the final mirror those of the qualifying round, McClenaghan would claim gold, surpassing the American, Stephen Nedoroscik, thanks to his superior execution score of 8.900 compared to Nedoroscik's 8.800.
However, the final is a clean slate, and all competitors will be pushing for the top spot. McClenaghan acknowledged that there is room for improvement in his routine, stating, "We can upgrade the routine, upgrade that difficulty."
The 25-year-old is not solely focused on his competitors, emphasizing his personal goal: "It's me against me in this world."
McClenaghan's potential gold medal would be a momentous achievement for Northern Ireland, as the last individual gold medal for the region was won by Lady Mary Peters in 1972. The last Olympic gold medal won by a Northern Irishman came in 1988 when Stephen Martin and Jimmy Kirkwood secured gold in hockey with Team GB.
The immense expectations following his qualifying performance are not fazing McClenaghan. He said, "I'm managing it, that's all I can say. I know what I need to do. I don't even need to think about the podium, or think about the Olympic Games. What I need to do is my job, and that is doing a clean pommel horse routine."
Prior to these Games, McClenaghan had a bold ambition: to be crowned the greatest pommel horse gymnast of all time, aiming for a coveted "Grand Slam." His outstanding qualifying performance has brought him one step closer to realising this dream.