'This has been Rhys McClenaghan's whole life'
David Martelli has known Olympic gymnast Rhys McClenaghan for years
- Published
"Undeniable".
That's the word gymnast David Martelli chooses to describe Olympian Rhys McClenaghan's training mentality.
"He uses that word a lot," Mr Martelli says.
"We see the good days and the bad days but every time we see him do a routine, he's always locked in and ready to go, there is never a flicker of doubt."
On Saturday, McClenaghan's years of training will come to the fore when he attempts to win an Olympic medal in the pommel horse final.
Mr Martelli has known McClenaghan since he was five and has trained with him ever since.
'It's your life goal'
McClenaghan missed out on a medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after a mistake during his routine but he will aim to put that right later on Saturday.
"It's 17 years minimum of hard work. If anything, it's going to inspire him either way," Mr Martelli says.
"If he wins gold, he's going to want more. If he doesn't get gold, he's going to want more.
"Either way, all I see is positivity really."
Mr Martelli says that any gymnast is "not necessarily motivated every day" but that is when discipline is crucial.
"You have to be obsessed. You can't be kind of in it. You have to be 100% into gymnastics in order to succeed at the level Rhys has," he says.
"Gymnastics is very niche in Northern Ireland, there's not a lot of high level gymnasts so we are lucky to have someone like Rhys".
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'We're lucky to have someone like Rhys'
Mr Martelli says it's inspiring for everyone including younger gymnasts at the club.
"It's nice for them to have someone to aspire to be like every single day in training and train alongside as well which is also very cool," he says.
For those youngsters, Mr Martelli's one piece of advice is to never give up.
"Work as hard as you can, stay dedicated and that's it," he says.
"There's no secret recipe, really. Enjoy it as well, don't be afraid to have fun in your training sessions".
Brodie and Tabby will be cheering Rhys McClenahgan on
Ten-year-old Brodie is one of those young gymnasts who have been inspired by McClenaghan.
He and his sister Tabby, who is eight both plan to watch the final and cheer McClenaghan on.
Brodie says the Olympian inspires him "by doing really good apparatus work, conditioning and stretching".
He says he feels "pretty confident" that he will also get to the Olympics one day too.
With the younger talent coming through, it's looking like McClenaghan might have some tough competition on his hands some time soon.
But later on Saturday it's all about the Newtownards man as he goes for gold.