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Old Boys' Stories · Grammar News Summer 2025, updated Winter 2026

Grammar at the Games — BGS Olympians

Home · Stories · Grammar at the Games — BGS Olympians

Once an Olympian, always an Olympian. The School's own timeline of Old Boys who have competed at an Olympic Games runs from Saint Louis in 1904 to Paris in 2024.

Old Boy Year (as printed) Discipline Games
Francis 'Frank' Gailey (1902) Swimming Saint Louis 1904 (competed for USA; recognised by BGS from 2009)
Louis Haley (1944) Hockey Melbourne 1956, Rome 1960 (AUS)
Neil Martin '72 Swimming Munich 1972 (AUS)
Richard Powell '78 Rowing Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992 (AUS)
David Weightman '88 Rowing Atlanta 1996 (AUS)
Shaun Coulton '96 Rowing Athens 2004 (AUS)
Toby Jenkins '97 Water Polo Athens 2004 (AUS)
Anthony Martin '02 Water Polo Beijing 2008 (AUS)
Samuel Conrad '00 Rowing Beijing 2008 (AUS)
Ned McKendry '09 Swimming London 2012 (AUS)
Jake Donaghey '12 Canoe Sprint London 2012 (AUS)
Patrick Holt '16 Rowing Paris 2024 (AUS)
Logan Ullrich '17 Rowing Paris 2024 (NZ)

The Headmaster's Message in the same edition records that Frank Gailey "swam valiantly at the Saint Louis Olympics in 1904" and won four medals, "Claimed by the USA until 2009," when BGS added him to its history "alongside twelve more" athletes.

The Olympic Honour Board (2026)

In February 2026 the School unveiled a new Olympic Honour Board, outside the STEAM Precinct, paying tribute to Old Boys who have represented their country at the Olympic Games. Since 1904, 17 BGS athletes have competed at the Olympics, collectively earning seven medals. Five were celebrated at the unveiling: Neil Martin '72, Richard Powell '78, David Weightman '88, Toby Jenkins '97 and Ned McKendry '09.

The board added four Old Boys to the thirteen in the timeline above (the board prints each athlete's sport, not the Games year):

Old Boy Sport
Neil Hawgood Hockey
Mitchell Larkin Swimming
John Millman Tennis
Nick D'Agostino Football

Richard Powell reflected on being included: "This one is very special to me as it is specific to the small number of Olympians in the history of the School."

See the full Olympic Honour Board →

Sources: Grammar News Summer 2025; Grammar News Winter 2026 (Olympic Honour Board).


Source: Grammar News Summer 2025. Read the original edition

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