Commonwealth Games 2026: Reece McClenaghan finishes sixth in pommel horse final

Olympic champion Rhys McClenaghan finished sixth and missed out on a medal in the men’s pommel horse final.

McClenaghan scored a 13.000 with her routine at the Glasgow International Arena as she failed to win a medal at the Games for the first time since claiming gold on the Gold Coast in 2018 and silver in Birmingham four years ago.

The 27-year-old qualified third with a score of 14.500 and going into the final the expectation was that he would become Team Northern Ireland’s third medalist of the Games and potentially claim their first gold.

But it all went wrong for the Newtonards man, who at one point near the end of his routine came off a pommel horse that didn’t look right from off.

Her difficulty (5.200) and execution (7.800) scores dropped from Friday’s qualifying, and her appeal to have her scores reviewed was denied.

It ended McClenaghan’s remarkable run of five consecutive major championships, which ended with gold at the worlds in 2022 and 2023, the Europeans in 2023 and 2024 and the Olympics in 2024.

It was his worst score since returning from injury earlier this year after registering 13.466 and 13.900 at two World Cup competitions in Azerbaijan and Antalya.

Canada’s Jordan Carroll, who went to the first section of the finals, won the gold medal with a remarkable routine scoring 15.00.

Scotland’s Reuben Ward, who claimed gold in the men’s all-around final, produced a big score of 14.966 to take silver while Cameron Lynn scored 13.833 to claim bronze to the delight of the Scottish team in attendance.

Adam Tobin, who was part of the silver-winning England team, slipped and fell on his first attempt and scored 12.066 on his second attempt while finishing eighth.

More to follow.