Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.

An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.

IRELAND’S RHYS MCCLENAGHAN has missed out on a medal in the men’s pommel horse final at the European Gymnastics Championships in Zagreb.

The 27-year-old registered a score of 14.166 to finish seventh in the men’s pommel horse final.

McClenaghan had previously achieved 14.400 to qualify for the final in fifth place.

Italy’s Gabriele Targhetta won gold with a score of 15.133.

Armenia pair Hamlet Manukyan (15.000) and Mamikon Khachatryan (14.900) claimed silver and bronze respectively.

McClenaghan, the 2024 pommel horse Olympic champion, is not yet at 100%, having recently returned from injury and surgery.

Ahead of the event, the Newtownards native warned people not to expect too much for the final.

“I labelled the Commonwealth Games as a stepping stone. I’m treating this as the same. It doesn’t mean that I’m giving it any less respect,” he told reporters.

“I’m still going for my best performance, but I have to realise that this is my current best, and I’m wanting to build on that even more.

“I’m wanting to build difficulty, better my execution, and I know that that takes time. It’s a bit of a process, so I look forward to continuing that progress.”

Meanwhile, earlier, Eamon Montgomery finished seventh in the floor final with a score of 13.533.

The Belfast native had qualified for the final in sixth place with a score of 14.033.

“An extremely high-class final, with an exceptional standard throughout,” Gymnastics Ireland Performance & Technical Director Sally Johnson said.

“Rhys McClenaghan and Eamon Montgomery both finished seventh in competitions of the highest quality in execution, with Eamon reaching his first European final – a brilliant achievement and a great reward for all his hard work.

“Both performances demonstrate their excellent preparation as we look ahead to the World Championships in Rotterdam, where Rhys will compete pommel, and Eamon will compete on floor as both gymnasts have qualified through the World Cup route.

“Best of luck to both of them! Special thanks to our excellent support services teams in Sport Ireland Institute and Sport Institute Northern Ireland for their work with our Gymnasts.”

On Saturday, Robert Ward and Finlay Hazelton are competing on Vault in the Junior apparatus finals from 9.00-11.15am (Irish time).

You can view the results in full here.

Written by Paul Fennessy and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.

To embed this post, copy the code below on your site