'What everyone is witnessing is a genuine dream come true' - Rhys McClenaghan completes 10-year plan after claiming Olympic Games gold

Carson has been McClenaghan’s coach throughout his rise to becoming one of the best of this generation, firstly at Rathgael in Bangor and now at Origin Gymnastics in his hometown, ticking off Commonwealth Games, European Championship and World Championships glory along the way, but there was still one crucial piece missing from the collection.

Under intense pressure on the biggest stage, the 25-year-old delivered a flawless routine to score 15.533 as he banished the demons from three years ago in Tokyo when he slipped off the apparatus, and Carson paid tribute to his dedication in chasing a lifelong goal.

"What everyone is witnessing is a genuine dream come true,” he told RTE Sport. “Rhys and I spoke about this in 2014...there were milestones along the way and this has ticked the last one off.

"Everything from 2014 to now, whether it was a national championships, Irish or British, junior, European, Commonwealth to Olympics, he's now just ticked it off.

"I wrote down a 10-year plan in 2014 to keep us focused on what we were doing and why we were working so hard. He has not faltered once - he has turned up every day and given 100% without fail.

"It has felt like a very personal journey because we've both been so invested in every single day. There hasn't been a day where we haven't turned up - every single session we've taken as an actual step towards Olympic gold.

"I've never seen an athlete as focused as Rhys...every training session over the last four or five months he has treated like an Olympic final and that's why he's an Olympic gold medallist."

After dominating his sport as an athlete, Carson predicts that McClenaghan will also enjoy a successful coaching career, helping people he has undoubtedly inspired with his medal exploits achieve their own dreams.

"We do a lot of things back home at Origin Gymnastics and a lot of community-centred work where hundreds of kids come to the gym and Rhys performs live,” he added. “It's a beautiful way for Rhys to experience that pressure and do what's important to him, which is inspiring the next generation.

"He wants to be a coach and I believe he'll be a phenomenal one and surpass everything I've ever done because he has a great eye for it. The inspiration is really important to Rhys."