Olympic champion Rhys McClenaghan qualified for the Commonwealth Games pommel horse final as he posted a score of 14.500 after an almost flawless display with his new routine.
All eyes in the Emirates Arena were on McClenaghan and he delivered, even celebrating with a jig after stepping off the apparatus.
The 27-year-old finished third in the qualifying standings, with Scotland’s Reuben Ward and Canada’s Jordan Carroll (both 14.550) coming in ahead of him.
“It’s amazing to get him back out there, brand new routine, he smashed it with one of the best executions, we’ll take that it’s extremely positive and we have an upgraded routine to do for the final,” said his coach Luke Carson.
McClenaghan, who missed the entirety of 2025 after shoulder surgery, earned an difficult score of 5.500 and an execution score of 9.000, the highest in qualifying.
He is aiming to win his third Commonwealth Games medal on the pommel horse after picking up gold in 2018 and silver in 2022.
The Newtownards man also competed in floor qualifying for the first time since 2018, but failed to reach the final.
He scored 12.350 for his routine as he stumbled at the end when trying to land from a triple somersault.
Team-mate Eamon Montgomery faces an anxious wait to see if his score of 13.000 will be enough to qualify for the final after he received a 0.100 penalty.
Ewan McAteer reached Tuesday’s vault final as he finished fifth in qualifying with a score of 13.650.
“I definitely performed to the best of my ability, so very happy with how today has gone,” he said.
“It’s been a bit of a turbulent time for me out here, I’ve pulled a muscle in my stomach that extends down to my groin which has really flared so that was the first bit of gymnastics I did out there but a pulled groin wasn’t stopping me today.”
