Rhys McClenaghan gets home boost ahead of TV dance final

Olympic gold medal gymnast Rhys McClenaghan "saw a challenge and accepted it" when he decided to swap the pommel horse for the Paso Doble by participating in Irish broadcaster RTÉ's Dancing with the Stars.

This Sunday, all of his hard work will come to end when McClenaghan and his partner Laura Nolan dance in the final of the competition.

Ahead of it, the 25-year-old from County Down has returned to his home gym where he was greeted by dozens of young, aspiring gymnasts.

He said it was "always nice" to return to his hometown of Newtownards "and just to see the support from everybody, to see everyone who has watched the show, who has been voting every week".

Last summer, McClenaghan won an Olympic gold on the pommel horse in Paris.

He said this latest challenge has been entirely different.

"It's been long days, I think the biggest challenge for me is balancing the gymnastics training," he told BBC News NI.

He said he had been dancing for six or seven hours a day, before training for four or five hours in the evening.

"It's not very sustainable," he explained.

"I'm glad the competition's coming to an end but I'm also glad that I've had the experience."

Rhys said his many years of experience in gymnastics has served him well on the show.

"My discipline and motivation that I've really learned from gymnastics has certainly crossed over to the dancing," he said.

"It has pushed me through some tough days, it's made me enjoy the performance of it all as well and at the same time some new challenges have hit me in the face as well.

"But that's the reason I did the show, I saw a challenge and I accepted it."

Rhys was joined by his dancing partner Laura at his home gym in Newtownards and she described him as a "dream student".

"He really has, from start to finish, thrown himself into it and believed and trusted in everything," she said.

She said it was incredible the level the gymnast has reached.

"Not only the level of tricks and lifts, which we knew he could do but the level of dance he has created has just been unbelievable.

"I don't think I'll ever have another partner like him.

"He's so incredible and inspiring."

Rhys said he had not been sure if he would reach the final, but said the fact he has made it this far and people continue to watch and support him is "a job well done".

"It's very different to a gymnastics competition where it really comes down to your performance and the score that you get," he said.

"This is a public vote – it's half the vote each week and even coming down to the final it's only the public vote.

"So it's very a different kind of competition.

"But the support has been great and I mean – today there were kids coming in as Spiderman because it was a dream of mine as a kid to be Spiderman, so to be able to perform it live on TV in the form of a dance was a special feeling."

All four couples participating in Sunday's final will complete two dances.

Rhys and Laura confirmed they would be bringing back the Spiderman themed dance from movie week where they were awarded 10 points from each of the judges. They will also perform a freestyle dance.

Rhys said bringing the winning "glitterball" trophy home would be a "really nice representation for gymnastics" and for people in his hometown.

"I was definitely out of my comfort zone this entire show and just accepting that you're a part of doing something special, it's a good message to have."

Tracy McClenaghan, Rhys's mum, said she did not think she could be any prouder of her son.

"We're really excited, it's something completely different for us.

"We are used to sports events to cheer on a gymnast and now all of a sudden we're at dance events.

"I don't even know how this happened."

Tracy admitted that when Rhys started the competition she did not think he would reach the final but now she believes he can win.

She said she would "love to have the glitterball back in Newtownards".

"I had no clue he could even dance.

"He said to me a few months ago 'I'm going to do Dancing with the Stars' and I looked at him and said 'can you dance?' and he said: 'I don't know, I'm sure I'll pick it up'.

"That's Rhys' typical attitude really, he just loves a challenge."

Suzie Allen's daughters Summer and Savannah attend gymnastics classes at Rhys' home gym.

She said both Rhys and Laura are brilliant role models.

"The girls go to Origin gymnastics, but they also dance, so they love what he's doing, they'll hopefully be able to do [so] one day as well and be as fit as him."