MCCLENAGHAN MAKING SHOW OF HIMSELF...

RESTRICTIONS are tight around the athletes’ village in Tokyo but Rhys Mcclenaghan is giving his unique insight to fans through his vlogging.

Gymnast Mcclenaghan, 21, is a podium prospect after claiming bronze at the World Championships and gold in the World Cup series for pommel horse.

He finished fifth in the Europeans this year when, as favourite for gold, a mistake caused him to dismount in the final.

Vlogging in his spare time is a passionate hobby - and Mcclenaghan (above) is using the medium to give young hopefuls access to life as an elite athlete in the hope of inspiring them.

This week he posted a seven-minute video on Youtube that provided a fascinating window into how athletes are dealing with Olympic life in the bubble.

The Newtownards, Co Down, man showed off his room in the village - and posted a clip on social media that went viral of him jumping on his cardboard bed (inset), declaring it was ‘fake news’ that shenanigans couldn’t take place there - as well as the dining hall.

“I want it to be quite authentic, I don’t want any cheesy footage or lots of edited stuff,” he explained. “I just want people can see my life for what it is.”

It’s not an easy choice for most to open themselves up to others in this way but Mcclenaghan was prompted to do it to help aspiring gymnasts follow in his footsteps.

“The young gymnasts inspire me to be a better gymnast every day,” he admitted. “But outside of gymnastics, as we know, social media and more online footage is craved more than ever by the younger generation.

“When I went on a couple of Zoom calls with clubs in Dublin, one question that I was always asked by the younger generation was, ‘When are you going to start posting on Youtube again?’.

“It sparked an idea. For one, I want to film more of my life. I feel like I’m doing things that I can look back on in years to come and I’ll be grateful that I videoed it.

“The second reason is to inspire younger kids. When I was a younger gymnast, I would’ve killed to see their life day in, day out - see them training, see them compete.

“That would have been me, completely grasped by their video footage. I hope to do the same for the younger generation and maybe give them a bit of inspiration.”