Exhibition celebrates 'long history' of Manx Olympians
An exhibition celebrating some of the Isle of Man's greatest sports stars has opened to coincide with the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.
Manx Olympians, which features almost 50 sportsmen and women from the island who have competed at the Games, has opened at the Manx Museum ahead of the Paris Games opening on 26 July.
Manx National Heritage curator Matthew Richardson said the wonderful selection of images and objects on display showed the island "punches very much above its weight".
He added that the "star item" was the gold medal that Peter Kennaugh won as part of the Great Britain Team Pursuit cycling team at the 2012 Olympics in London.
Since polo player Frederick Agnew Gill won a bronze medal in 1900, Manx sports stars have been part of Team GB at the Olympic Games.
The most recent addition to the list is equestrian Yasmin Ingham, who was named as one of the eventing squad for the Paris Games on Thursday.
The exhibition also features rower Sidney Swann, who, despite becoming the island's first gold medallist in 1912, had been "forgotten" by history, Mr Richardson said.
Swann's achievement went unmatched until Kennaugh's win a century later, while the island's most famous sport star, cyclist Sir Mark Cavendish, won silver in Rio in 2016.
Mr Richardson said that while many people were familiar with those achievements, there was a "long history" of Manx Olympians like Swann who were less well known.
"We have tried to look back over the years and find the stories that visitors may not be so familiar with," he said.
He said the exhibition showed the island "punches very much above its weight".
He said for such a "small population" to have had "so many people who have been successful at the Olympics" should be a point of pride for the island's residents.
He added that Kennaugh's medal was his personal highlight.
"An Olympic gold medal is not something that you get the chance to see every day, so we are very grateful to Peter Kennaugh for his kindness in loaning it to us," he said.
The free exhibition is open until February 2025.
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