Image provided by (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Daniel Wiffen won gold in the Men’s 800m Freestyle and bronze in the Men’s 1500m Freestyle, making history in the pool as Northern Ireland’s first athlete to win Olympic gold in 36 years. Wiffen’s medal was Loughborough’s first gold of the games.

The current Loughborough student received support from Santander, who in 2022 provided him with a scholarship to support his swimming career and studies.

Santander Universities UK have generously provided support to a range of projects at Loughborough including entrepreneurship and educational and employer initiatives. Matt Hutnell, Head of Santander Universities UK shared what it means to see Daniel succeeding at the highest level:

“A massive congratulations to Daniel and to all the Loughborough student athletes for their successes in Paris. We are so proud to have supported more than 1500 aspiring athletes, including Daniel, to train and study at such a prestigious sporting hub like Loughborough University. At Santander, we are committed to supporting initiatives that empower students and enhance their educational and professional journey, regardless of their financial background, and this is a brilliant example of the opportunities it can bring.”

Based at the pool in Loughborough and trained by alumnus Andi Manley, Daniel is also in receipt of a Loughborough Sports Scholarship.

The support that has been provided to Daniel helps him to focus on the task at hand and avoid financial worries – in this case, winning high profile medals and becoming a history-maker.

Many other students have also received similar support during their studies.

­On the opening day in the velodrome, student Sophie Capewell was part of the gold medal-winning team in the Women’s Team Sprint, crossing the line in 45.186 seconds to beat the world record. She followed it up on the final day of action with a 5th place finish in the Women’s Individual Sprint.

Out on the water, we saw alumna and former sports scholar Annie Campbell-Orde take a bronze medal as part of Great Britain women’s eight rowing side.

Fellow alumna Beth Potter scooped bronze in the Women’s Triathlon, later adding to the medal tally with a further bronze in the Triathlon Mixed Team Relay following a photo finish.

With another bronze, current sports scholar and PhD student Alex Haydock-Wilson duly delivered for Great Britain on the track in the 4x400m Mixed Relay in what was proving to be a great day for Loughborough-linked athletes. He added to his collection later in the games, winning another bronze medal alongside two other Loughborough-linked athletes, former sports scholar Charlie Dobson and College alumnus Lewis Davey, in the Men’s 4x400m Relay.

Back in the pool, former scholar Paige Madden achieved a silver in an absorbing Women’s 4x200m Relay Final and a bronze medal in the Women’s 800m Freestyle for the USA. Fellow Loughborough swimmers Abbie Wood and Freya Colbert – who have both received sports scholarships – placed fifth in the same relay with current student Freya Colbert recording a personal best of 1:55.95 in the opening leg for Great Britain.

Battling strong currents, scholarship recipients Hector Pardoe, Toby Robinson, Daniel Wiffen, and Felix Auboeck all competed in the Men’s 10km Open Water swim.

Several current and former sports scholarship recipients representing Great Britain’s Women’s Hockey team made it to the quarter finals, missing out on the next round after conceding three goals to one against the Netherlands.

Others narrowly missed out on places in their respective finals, and former student Jake Wightman had to withdraw from the 1500m due to injury.

Sports Scholarships are supported in part by donations to Loughborough, helping the next generation of elite athletes to achieve their potential alongside their studies.

Thank you to everyone who donates to Loughborough. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Find out more about making a donation.

Loughborough-linked athletes return home with an incredible 16 medals – three more than Tokyo 2020 with the Paralympic Games still to come.

Check out all of the sporting action on the Loughborough athletes on the global stage website or via #Lboro2Paris on social media.