Daniel Wiffen swam his way to clinch Team Ireland’s first Gold medal of the Paris 2024 Olympics in the 800m Freestyle on Tuesday, July 30.
Wiffen's Gold medal is Ireland's first Olympic medal in any men's swimming event ever.
Not only did Armagh native Wiffen win Gold with his finishing time of 7:38:19, he set a new personal best, national record, and European record by a full second in the process.
Wiffen's medal-winning swim also set a new Olympic record, knocking over three seconds off the previous one of 7:41:28 set by Mykhalo Romanchuk of Ukraine in Tokyo 2020.
DANIEL WIFFEN! 🤯
You are an OLYMPIC MEDALLIST and an OLYMPIC RECORD HOLDER🔥#TeamIreland | #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/tbLTFOV5i4
— Team Ireland (@TeamIreland) July 30, 2024
Silver medallist Bobby Finke of the US finished just behind the Irish swimmer at 7:38:35, while Bronze medallist Gregorio Paltrinieri of Italy finished at 7:39:38.
Wiffen’s Gold medal is Team Ireland’s second medal so far at the Paris 2024 Olympics; it comes the day after Sligo swimmer Mona McSharry won Bronze in the 100m Breaststroke final on Monday night.
23-year-old Wiffen is also set to compete in 1500m Freestyle, which heats begin on Saturday, and intends to compete in the Open Water 10km.
Hey 👋 The Olympic Champion is calling 🤙#TeamIreland | #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/uj2rS3ZbHN
— Team Ireland (@TeamIreland) July 30, 2024
Speaking to RTÉ Sport after clinching the Gold medal, Wiffen - still out of breath - took great delight in being referred to as the 'Olympic champion.'
"It's really good, I can't believe it," Wiffen said, before thanking his twin brother Nathan, as well as his parents, coaching staff, and Team Ireland.
"I couldn't have done it without anybody," he said. "I'm not alone out there. It was such a good effort."
Reflecting on his Gold medal-winning swim, Wiffen said: "I'm not gonna lie, I was looking for Bobby Finke the whole time... I was 'I can't get caught last 50m. I've been training all f---ing year for this. I will not get caught last 50!'
"I kept looking over and looking over and I saw I got by him and I knew it was over, I had won," he added, before reflecting on an Olympic record.
"Pretty crazy. Another title in the book. Now I can say I am one of the best ever."
'What's my name? Daniel Wiffen, Olympic champion'
Daniel Wiffen speaks to @OFlynnPaul after winning gold for Ireland in the 800m freestyle in Paris #RTESport #Paris2024
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 30, 2024
📱Updates https://t.co/01ShZjM17C
📺 Watch https://t.co/XnOP6grnB7 pic.twitter.com/Nat6iW90po
Wiffen was moved to tears when Ireland's national anthem "Amhrán na bhFiann" was played in La Defense Arena.
It marked only the 12th time the Irish anthem was played during an Olympic medal ceremony.
"I ain't much of a crier, I shed a lot of tears there," Wiffen admitted to RTÉ Sport.
"You never really see me cry, so it’s a big achievement for that!
"It’s amazing, I love hearing the national anthem," he said.
"I think I’ve heard it more times in my life now than a lot of people. This is my sixth time this season hearing it, so it’s kind of crazy. I’m just so happy."
Writing himself into the history books ✍️
Daniel Wiffen || Olympic Champion || Olympic Record Holder #TeamIreland | #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/yD3Yna98Hr
— Team Ireland (@TeamIreland) July 30, 2024
Like his teammate Mona McSharry on Monday, Wiffen was met with a wave of congratulations on Tuesday after securing the Gold medal.
President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins extended his congratulations, while Tansite Micheal Martin deemed Wiffen's swim as "outstanding" and "breathtaking."
Taoiseach Simon Harris sent "absolute admiration and congratulations" to Wiffen on behalf of all of Ireland, while First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill commended Wiffen for his history making swim.
Of course, Wiffen's biggest fans might be his parents Rachel and Jonathan who were in attendance - donning green Ireland t-shirts - to watch their son swim to glory.
"Absolutely electric, it's just brilliant," a beaming Rachel said.
💬 “Absolutely electric”
🇮🇪 Daniel Wiffen’s proud parents Rachel and Jonathan @jwwrok share their joy at his #Olympic gold 🥇w/@RafDLeitrim outside the La Defense Arena where their son made history in the 800m freestyle final #paris2024 #rtesport pic.twitter.com/fslpWjJNqU
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 30, 2024
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