Swimmer Daniel Wiffen - who has already picked up two medals for Ireland at the Paris 2024 Olympics - offered a hilariously honest interview after completing the grueling Men's Marathon Swimming 10km Open Water event in the Seine on Friday, August 9.
When asked how his first open water swim went, Wiffen, who finished in 18th with a time of 1:57:20.1, quickly said it would be his "last."
"It's probably one of the worst things I've ever done," he told RTÉ Sport.
"But, yeah, I'm happy I did it. Now that I can say I can range from 10k I actually placed higher than I did in Tokyo in the pool so I'm pretty proud of myself.
"But when you get to halfway, all I was thinking was, 'I am already an Olympic champion and I'm still in this and I'm coming 18th?
"I was like, 'Oh, we'll just finish it now but then I'm never doing it again."
Wiffen went on to admit that his goal heading into the 10km marathon swim event was "to finish."
"I’m very pleased with myself," he said, "and happy I didn’t come last so that’s the main thing."
He added: "All the coaches are laughing because I was swimming out by myself because I wasn’t arsed going behind somebody - all I was thinking was, 'Yeah, I can’t be arsed getting kicked in the face.'
"I got a couple of elbows in the eye and punched in the face at one point.
"This sport isn’t for me, I don't think. I definitely want my own lane next time."
He added: "I’m so happy I’ve completed it and I’m retiring from open water."
"It's probably one of the worst things I've ever done but happy I did it... I'm retiring from open water!" - Daniel Wiffen is planning "to party" after completing his superb Olympics with the 10km marathon swim
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 9, 2024
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As Wiffen noted, he went into the 10km swim event as a double Olympic medalist.
On Tuesday, July 30, he won Team Ireland's first Gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics when he won the Men's 800m Freestyle event.
It was a historic win - Wiffen's Gold medal was Ireland's first Olympic medal in any men's swimming event ever.
Not only did the Armagh swimmer 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 Gold 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.
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.
"It’s amazing, I love hearing the national anthem," he said afterward
"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."
July 30, 2024: Daniel Wiffen wins Team Ireland's first Gold medal of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (Getty Images)
But Wiffen wasn't done just yet.
On Sunday, August 4, he claimed the Bronze medal for Team Ireland in the Men's 1500m Freestyle event.
Team Ireland proudly noted on Sunday that it was the first time in its 100-year history of competing at the Games that Ireland has won seven Olympic medals.
In becoming a double Olympic medallist on Sunday, Wiffen, 23, wrote himself into the history books, yet again, by becoming the first Irish man ever to win two Olympic swimming medals.
August 4, 2024: Daniel Wiffen dives in for what will be his Bronze medal winning swim at the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Getty Images)
As of Friday evening, Ireland has seven Olympic medals from the 2024 Games - four Gold and three Bronze - and sits in 14th place on the Medal Table.
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