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Irish Times
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
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. READ MORE 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.
BBC News
8 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Paris 2024: NI Olympians donate money to boost local sport
Northern Ireland's six medallists from the Paris 2024 Olympics have given a boost to up-and-coming sports stars with funding for new have each selected a club or organisation to benefit from a share of the Department for Communities' £100,000 Olympic Medallist at St Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh, are enjoying using a new state-of-the-art gym, funded by a donation from Olympic swimmer Daniel Dominic Clarke said the gym had enhanced the school's PE department "fantastically" - and it's been a hit among pupils. "It's the 'wow factor' where they walk in in and go 'what is this, this is unbelievable,'" he told BBC News NI. Previously, the school had one gym rack in a squash court area so the new gym - which includes static bikes, rowing machines, ski ergs and treadmills - is a big change."It's been very, very well used from 8am until well after school so we're very appreciative of the facility and the donation that has been made," Mr Clarke said. 'It's about giving back' Distributed by Sport NI, the Olympic Medallist Fund was split between Northern Ireland's six medallists with £20,000 for a gold medal, £10,000 for silver and £5,000 for on X, Wiffin, who won gold and bronze, said he was proud to donate £25,000 to "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," he Clarke said Wiffin is "very supportive" of the school and has visited a number of times."He's been into the school with his Olympic medals, he'd spend hours speaking to the kids, answering questions, getting selfies with the medals."He said they are "very proud" of him and will "continue to follow his success". Six Northern Ireland athletes representing Team Ireland and Team GB won a record seven medals, including four gold, at the Paris for Team Ireland, Wiffin won gold and bronze, Rhys McClenaghan won gold and Philip Doyle won Team GB, Hannah Scott and Jack McMillan won gold while Rebecca Shorten won silver. Leaving a legacy McClenaghan chose his gym Origin Gymnastics in his hometown of Newtownards, County Down, to receive £20,000 which has gone towards new said the grant gave him "the responsibility to leave a legacy" after his Olympic win. "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," he added. Luke Carson, chief executive and founder of Origin Gymnastics, said McClenaghan's journey was "a testament to the power of dedication, resilience, and chasing your dreams". "I was genuinely honoured when he chose Origin as the recipient of this funding."Meanwhile, McMillan chose Bangor Swimming Club to benefit from new poolside training and competition equipment, and Methodist College Belfast Rowing Club, supported by Shorten, can now offer an elite junior sculler the chance to compete at international level with a competition-sized single scull Rowing Club, supported by Scott, will add carbon fibre single sculls and oars to their equipment. Doyle chose Belfast Boat Club, which purchased new fitness equipment and support seats to allow people with disabilities to participate in rowing.
