Olympic heroes donate legacy grants to their schools in classy gesture
Sport Northern Ireland has given £100,000 (€119,000) to be shared between six athletes from the north, three of whom, Daniel Wiffen, Rhys McClenaghan and Phillip Doyle, represented Ireland at last summer's Paris Olympics.
Wiffen donated his legacy grant of £25,000 (€29,700) for winning gold in the 800m freestyle and bronze in the 1500m freestyle to his former school, St Patrick's Grammar School in Armagh, and the building of a new gym.
The swimmer said: 'Proud to donate my full £25,000 Olympic Legacy fund to @stpatsarmagh – the school that believed in me from the start,' Wiffen wrote on social media.
'The new gym will support the next generation of Armagh athletes. Legacy isn't just about medals – it's about giving back.'
McClenaghan, who won gold on the pommel horse in Paris, donated his full cheque, worth £20,000 (€23,744) to Origin Gymnastics club in his hometown of Newtownards, Co. Down.
'I feel like this grant gave me the responsibility to leave a legacy after my Olympic win,' McClenaghan said. '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, who won a bronze for Ireland in the double sculls alongside Clonmel's Daire Lynch, donated his £5,000 to Belfast Boat Club.
Speaking to RTE, the principal of St Patrick's Grammar School in Armagh, where Wiffen to school, told that the swimming hero was "very, very supportive of the school"
Dominic Clarke said: "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."
Clarke added that the school has a particularly rich history of sporting talent, which was on full show in the space of a few days last summer.
"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.
"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.
"It was a very, very, very good couple of months for the school".
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