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Watch: Rhys McClenaghan breaks Russian circles world record

Irish gymnast Rhys McCleneghan sets a new world record of 42 Russian circles on the pommel horse to raise funds for Action Mental Health.

Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan set a new world record of 42 Russian circles in a minute on the pommel horse in aid of mental health.

The 22-year-old rose to fame by becoming European and Commonwealth champion on the apparatus in 2018, and he also won bronze at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart.

McClenaghan's podium finish in Germany saw him become the first-ever Irish gymnast to medal at a World Championships, and the County Down-born athlete has now made more international history.

The previous world record for Russian circles - or wendeswings - on the pommel horse was 35, and McClenaghan set out to complete at least 40 to raise funds for Northern Irish service Action Mental Health.

McClenaghan briefly came off the horse after 26 and 35 rotations, but he successfully got back on to complete a world-beating 42 with a few seconds to spare.

"It was tougher than I thought, I reached the 20 mark and got really really dizzy," McClenaghan told BBC Sport after smashing the world record. "Your brain can't really comprehend spinning around that many times, maybe I now know what it's like to be an astronaut!

"It got hard, especially towards the end, the arms started to fatigue but I got the job done. I had an obsession with seeing people who are the best in the world and something, and I've proved that today by breaking this record."

McClenaghan also became the first Irish gymnast to qualify for an Olympic final in Tokyo last year, where he ultimately finished seventh on the pommel horse.

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Written by
Ben Knapton

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