Paris medallists Wiffen, McClenaghan and Doyle donate €60,000 in Olympic legacy funding to former school and clubs
Double Olympic medallist
Daniel Wiffen
has donated his entire Olympic Legacy Fund – worth £25,000 (€29,700) – to his former school, St Patrick's Grammar School in Armagh.
Wiffen was one of six athletes from Northern Ireland (representing Team Ireland and Team Great Britain) who collectively claimed seven medals at last summer's
Olympics
in Paris. The medal haul included four golds, one silver, and two bronze in swimming, rowing and gymnastics.
The £100,000 (€119,000) Olympic Medallist Fund, divided among the medallists, is funded by Stormont's Department for Communities and administered by Sport Northern Ireland.
Each gold medal winner earned £20,000, while silver medals received £10,000, and bronze medallists were awarded £5,000. Each athlete who won a medal was asked to select a club to receive their funding, with the money being used for equipment or to expand opportunities for people to participate in sport.
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Wiffen, who won gold in the 800m freestyle and bronze in the 1,500m freestyle, put all his money towards the recent gym expansion at St Patrick's, writing on social media: 'Proud to donate my full £25,000 Olympic Legacy fund to @stpatsarmagh – the school that believed in me from the start. The new gym will support the next generation of Armagh athletes. Legacy isn't just about medals – it's about giving back.'
Proud to donate my full £25,000 Olympic Legacy fund to
— Daniel Wiffen (@WiffenDaniel)
The other medal winners included Wiffen's fellow Team Ireland gold medallist, gymnast
Rhys McClenaghan
, who donated his £20,000 to the Origin Gymnastics club in his hometown, Newtownards.
'I feel like this grant gave me the responsibility to leave a legacy after my Olympic win,' said McClenaghan. 'I couldn't think of a better way to leave a legacy than to donate the money to the fastest growing gymnastics club in the country, Origin Gymnastics.
'This will hopefully allow young gymnasts to follow in my foot steps and give them opportunities and equipment that I didn't have growing up in this sport. Origin offers a sense of community in my hometown of Newtownards and gives everybody in the local area a true love for the sport of gymnastics.'
Philip Doyle
, bronze medallist for Team Ireland in the double sculls alongside Daire Lynch, donated his £5,000 to Belfast Boat Club.
From Team GB, Hannah Scott (quadruple sculls, gold) picked Bann Rowing Club, Jack McMillan (4×200m freestyle, gold) chose Bangor Swimming Club, and Rebecca Shorten (coxless four, silver) opted for Methodist College Belfast Rowing Club.
Northern Ireland Minister for Sport Gordon Lyons added: 'The incredible success of Daniel Wiffen, Rhys McClenaghan, Hannah Scott, Jack Milligan, Rebecca Shorten and Philip Doyle put Northern Ireland on the global stage.
'For a small nation, our athletes consistently punch above their weight, thanks to their dedication and sacrifices, and the unwavering support of coaches, school staff, families, and support teams.'
Wiffen, who turns 24 next month, is next aiming for the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore in late July, where he'll be chasing gold in both the 800m and 1,500m events.
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