IT Sligo sports scholar boxes his way to gold

IT Sligo sports scholar Dean Clancy won gold at the European U22 Championships in Italy on Thursday. The Applied Sport with Business student won four fights this week in the 64kg category in Roseto degli Abruzzi in Italy to reach the final, beating top opponents from Czech Republic, Serbia, France and Italy.

After a tough route to the final the 19 year old IT Sligo student stepped into an empty ring and was handed the gold medal when his Israeli opponent Ahmad Shtiwi failed to turn up in Roseto in the light-welterweight decider.

Clancy, from Manorhamilton, Leitrim is a member of the Sean McDermott club and says the sports scholarship at IT Sligo has helped him concentrate on his sporting ambitions:

“The sports scholarship has given me a sense of security and has helped with training. The facilities at IT Sligo are great for me. I am currently on a list of boxers who hope to go to the Olympics. My aim is to compete at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics and Paris 2024 Olympics.”

Dean previously finished fourth at the 2018 Youth Olympics and has his sights set on the Paris 2024 Olympics.

President of IT Sligo, Dr Brendan McCormack said it was a great day for the Institute and a credit to the Sports Scholarship programme:
“On behalf of IT Sligo I would like to congratulate Dean on his European Gold medal.  We couldn’t be prouder of our Sports Scholar, who is not only an extremely talented boxer, but a very humble young man too who has mixed his training and studies throughout a difficult year.”

The President went on to say:

“Up to 70 sports scholarships are awarded each academic year, across a wide range of sports – from GAA, Soccer, Golf, Equestrian and Athletics to Strongman, Surfing, Chess, Pentathlon and Motorsport. No matter what your chosen sport is IT Sligo has a proven record in success.”

For further information on sports scholarships in IT Sligo please go to our scholarship page here.