BOXING: Brett McGinty handed financial '˜lifeline'

Left to right. Daley Thompson, Chair of the trust Eilish Rutherford, boxer Brett McGinity, Irish Senior Champion in 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke Danielle Hill, Alyn Spratt of sponsor Bluefin Sport and Dame Mary Peters.

Picture by Jonathan Porter/Press Eye — Left to right. Daley Thompson, Chair of the trust Eilish Rutherford, boxer Brett McGinity, Irish Senior Champion in 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke Danielle Hill, Alyn Spratt of sponsor Bluefin Sport and Dame Mary Peters. Picture by Jonathan Porter/Press Eye

The 18 year-old Oak Leaf ABC clubman was one of two promising athletes, alongside Belfast swimmer, Danielle Hill, to receive a £2,000 award towards their development in their respective sports.

Sponsored by Bluefin Sport, the Mary Peters Trust chooses two people each year that it feels are most deserving of the grant to further their sporting development. The money can be used for a variety of things like training, equipment or travel expenses and can be a real boost to these aspiring and hugely talented sport stars.

McGinty was selected, shortlisted and interviewed by an awards panel hand-picked by Trust figurehead Dame Mary Peters in her continuing quest to aid the development of young sportsmen and women, stretching back to her 1972 Olympic gold medal in the pentathlon in Munich.

The ‘Make it Happen’ award will assist Brett in his bid to contest for the Ulster and Irish Elite titles and his ambition to compete at the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast.

Oak Leaf ABC coach, Eugene O’Kane said it was a much needed award for the young Co. Donegal man.

“Brett is a very level headed young man who is totally dedicated to the sport and I have a lot of respect for him,” said O’Kane. “At the recent European Youth Championships in Russia, he narrowly lost 2-1 in the quarter-finals.

“At a time when boxers are turning to the professional ranks at a very young age, this award will help Brett achieve his targets of Ulster and Irish Elite titles, Commonwealth Games gold in the Gold Coast and qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics.

“Brett has just competed for Team Ireland at the AIBA World Youth Championships in St Petersburg. He is a European Schoolboy bronze medallist and has won 12 Ulster and eight Irish titles.

“This money will fund his Elite training camps in Dublin and further afield. It will fund European competitions which will help him reach his goals. Without this money, and no other funding from any other source, his club were his only support and it was fast running dry. He didn’t see how he could continue so this is a real lifeline for his sport.”