RHYS McCLENAGHAN will miss the European Championships through injury. The Newtownards man, 25, was due to make his competitive return in Leipzig at the end of this month. He took a break from sport after winning a pommel horse gold medal at the Paris Olympics last summer. But he revealed on Instagram that an unspecified injury will delay his return and the Irishman will instead focus on the World Championships in Indonesia in October. The reigning European champion said: "Unfortunate news. "I won’t be competing at this year’s European Championships. "I tried my best to push through preparation but an injury kept holding me back. "I chose to prioritise being healthy and recovering for future competitions this year and be sure that I can put out my best work yet. "I may not be retaining my European title but the path to being the GOAT is still very clear." While he took a step back from gymnastics in the wake of the Olympics, McClenaghan remained active in a different avenue. He made a sensational debut on RTE's Dancing With The Stars earlier this year, winning it outright alongside Laura Nolan. In a nailbiting final, Rhys and Laura took home the prize after beating out Danny O'Carroll, Kayleigh Trappe and Jack Woolley. Although the final vote was determined by both judges' scores and the public vote, some viewers took to social media to express their disappointment that their favourites did not win. And Rhys spoke out about the disapproval of his DWTS win. The Olympian told RSVP: "That’s always going to be the case with social media, isn’t it? It is incredible what those guys did, and everyone should be very proud of themselves. I know if I didn’t win the glitterball I would still be proud of myself. "The standard was so high, it was an incredible season, everyone raised the bar. It could have been anyone who lifted the glitterball trophy." The 25-year-old was frequently compared online to his fellow Olympian and series competitor, Jack Woolley; however, Rhys revealed there was no competition between the two. He explained: "We had a mutual respect for each other because we understood the journey we were going on. I said congratulations to him, of course, and all of the other finalists." Outside of gymnastics and being a star dancer, Rhys is in a long-term relationship with his high school sweetheart, Emilee. The gold medal winner revealed that he and his girlfriend recently bought a house and are currently renovating it, adding: "We’ll be moving into it soon. It’s the first time we’ll be living together so it’s a really exciting time in both of our lives. "I’m really looking forward to spending as much time with her as possible and starting a new chapter of our lives together."