Tokyo Olympics: Rhys McClenaghan qualifies for pommel horse final as Lisburn boxer Kurt Walker wins opener
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Newtownards' Rhys McClenaghan qualifies for pommel horse final
Rhys McClenaghan produced a flawless pommel horse routine to qualify for next Sunday's final at the Olympics.
The Irish medal hope from Newtownards scored 15.266 as there was no repeat of his European Championships mishap.
Lisburn boxer Kurt Walker secured an impressive unanimous decision win over Spain's Jose Brotons in his opener.
Banbridge rower Philip Doyle reached semi-finals of his event but GB duo Rebecca Shorten and Rebecca Edwards had disappointing openers.
After struggling in their opening heat on Friday, Doyle and Irish partner Ronan Byrne finished third in the men's double sculls repechage to clinch the last place in Sunday's semi-finals.
Belfast's Shorten and her Great Britain women's four team-mates were a distant fourth in their heat and will now get a second opportunity in the repechage on Sunday to qualify for the final.
The GB women's eight, who include Edwards, were last in their heat and also face a final chance in the repechage to qualify for their final.
McClenaghan ready for final after 'good job'
Belfast archer Patrick Huston and partner Sarah Bettles had a 5-3 opening win over China in the first round of the mixed team archery competition but later bowed out of the competition following a 5-0 defeat by third seeds Mexico, who went on to clinch the bronze medal behind South Korea and the Netherlands.
Houston, 25, finished 25th in individual qualifying on Friday to set up a first-round meeting with Brazil's Marcus D'Almeida in the 64-competitor event.
McClenaghan, who won the European title and Commonwealth Games gold in 2018, missed out on a medal at the European Championships in Basel in April after being forced to dismount in the final but was back in top form at the Olympic gymnastics venue on Saturday to emphasise his podium credentials.
The 22-year-old county Down man was delighted with his performance as he shared top spot in the first two of the three qualifying groups to ensure progress, describing his first experience of Olympic competition as "incredible".
"I stepped off from my routine and just said 'it's the Olympic Games'. It's my first time watching the Olympic Games live let alone being in it," McClenaghan told BBC Sport Northern Ireland.
"It always surprises me how little pressure I put on myself when I'm in that moment of doing a routine I've always done. I surprised myself again today but I wasn't surprised that I went through that routine at all.
"My coach [Luke Carson] said it wasn't a matter of 'if' I got through, it's 'how' I go through and I did a good job today. It's exciting and I'm ready for this final," added the Northern Irishman whose score was later matched by Japan's Kohei Kamayama
McClenaghan's scored better than Great Britain's Olympic champion Max Whitlock who was in third spot after the opening two groups with a mark of 14.900 which also secured his qualification.
Kurt Walker celebrates with Team Ireland coach John Conlan
Featherweight boxer Walker survived a cut to come through his first bout at the Games.
The Lisburn man set the tone for the contest with a dominant opening round and repelled Spaniard Brotons' attempts to get back into the contest to earn a 5-0 verdict from the judges.
Next up for Walker is a tough contest with world champion and number one seed Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov from Uzbekistan on Wednesday.
'I'm so happy to be here, and so happy to get the win," said a content Walker.
"I was listening to the coaches and I knew I was going to win. It just went off a bit in the second round but that's normal in the first fight."
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In rowing, Ireland's Rio Games silver medallist Paul O'Donovan and partner Fintan McCarthy earned a dominant win in their lightweight men's double sculls heat to progress to the semi-finals.
O'Donovan won silver in the event in 2016 alongside brother Gary.
Ireland's women's four of of Emily Hegarty, Fiona Murtagh, Eimear Lambe and Aifric Keogh also reached the semi-finals of their event as they finished a close second to Australia in their heat, with the Aussies producing an Olympic best time of 6:28.76.
Ireland's taekwondo medal hope Jack Woolley suffered an agonising Tokyo exit in his 58kg opener as a last-gasp trunk kick from Argentinian opponent Lucas Guzman clinched his 22-19 victory, with the Dubliner's hopes of earning a repechage chance for the bronze medal later ended when the South American lost his semi-final.