Olympic champion Rhys McClenaghan is set to make his long-awaited return to competition at the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup 2026 in Baku, marking the start of what he calls a “new chapter” in his career.
The Irish gymnast will compete on the pommel horse when the World Cup gets underway from 5–8 March in Baku, Azerbaijan. It will be his first competition since winning Olympic gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics, where he produced a stunning routine to claim the title.
After his Olympic triumph, the 26-year-old was forced to step away from competition due to a shoulder injury and underwent surgery in July 2025, which ruled him out of last year’s World Championships. Now fully recovered, McClenaghan is eager to return to the international stage.
“I’m really happy to have my first competition coming up,” McClenaghan said ahead of the event. Reflecting on his comeback, he added that the competition “feels like the start of a new chapter after a challenging year with injury and shoulder surgery.”
The Olympic champion explained that the Baku event will be about regaining rhythm and testing his new pommel horse routine before building momentum throughout the World Cup series.
The competition schedule begins with qualification rounds on 5 and 6 March, while apparatus finals will be held on 7 and 8 March. McClenaghan is expected to compete in the pommel horse qualification on 6 March, with hopes of reaching the final.
Following the Baku meet, McClenaghan will continue his comeback in the next stage of the series at the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Antalya 2026 in Türkiye from 12–15 March.
Ireland will also have a strong presence in the World Cup events, with gymnasts Chester Enriquez, Oisin O’Connell, Eamon Montgomery, Daniel Fox, and James Hickey joining McClenaghan in the squad.
For the Olympic champion, however, the focus remains simple — returning to form and rebuilding momentum as he begins the next phase of his career.
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