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Irish Daily Mirror
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Olympic heroes donate legacy grants to their schools in classy gesture
Three of Ireland's Olympic heroes have donated their legacy grants to the schools and clubs that set them on the path to sporting glory. 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".
RTÉ News
10 hours ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Wiffen donates €29,000 Olympic legacy fund to former school
Olympic gold medalist Daniel Wiffen has given £25,000 (€29,000) from an Olympic grant to his former school to help fund a gym, its principal has said. 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".
