Wiffen donates €29,000 Olympic legacy fund to former school
Mr Wiffen won a gold medal in the 800m freestyle and bronze in the 1500m at the Paris games last year.
Dominic Clarke described the donation from Mr Wiffen's Olympic legacy fund as "very kind and generous", adding that Mr Wiffen has been "very, very supportive of the school".
Mr Clarke said the donation has "dovetailed really nicely with the project that we had already started in the school".
Speaking on RTÉ News at One, he said St Patrick's Grammar School in Co Armagh had already started a project to repurpose "an area of the school into a health and wellbeing and fitness suite".
He said donations from parents alongside fundraising initiatives had helped the school "to start" the project through the purchase of some equipment like weights.
"But we were totally devoid of cardiovascular equipment," he said.
He added that following a discussion with Mr Wiffen and through Sport NI "we put a proposal in".
"Now, if you come to our fitness suite wellness area, you'll see cardiovascular machines for bikes, treadmills, air treadmills, rowing machines, ski ergs," he said.
"A lot of that has been funded through the Olympic medalist fund," he added.
Mr Clarke said Mr Wiffen and his brother, Nathan, have maintained a "very strong connection with the school", adding they "come into the school regularly".
"Daniel came in with his Commonwealth silver medal when he won it, his first probably major international medal," he said.
"And then with his Olympic medals, he came into the school and spent hours and hours with the school community so everybody knows them," he added.
Mr Clarke said there is a picture of Mr Wiffen "up on the wall" at the school's entrance alongside another "in the gym".
"So obviously not too many schools have Olympic medalists that's for sure," he added.
But Mr Clarke noted that St Patrick's Grammar School has had its "fair share of sports champions".
"That was a glorious weekend that during which Armagh won the All Ireland and we had seven past pupils on that squad, so that was a big high and that was the Sunday and then on the Monday, Daniel went out and won the 800 metres gold medal," he said.
"Then another past pupil, Connor McKenna, who had already won an All Ireland with Tyrone a number of years ago, won the Australian AFL Championship with Brisbane," he added.
Mr Clarke said: "It was a very, very, very good couple of months for the school".
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