Daniel Wiffen facts for kids
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| Born | 14 July 2001 Leeds, England |
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| Country | Ireland Northern Ireland |
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| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Daniel Wiffen (born 14 July 2001) is an Irish swimmer. He is an Olympic champion and bronze medalist, two-time world champion and three-time European short course champion.
Wiffen won the gold medal in the men's 800 metre freestyle and the bronze medal in the men's 1500 metre freestyle at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, setting an Olympic record in the former event with the time of 7:38.19. He won the 800 metre freestyle and 1500 metre freestyle events at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, becoming the first male Irish swimmer in history to win a medal at the World Championships.
Wiffen won gold medals in the 400, 800 and 1500 metre freestyle events at the 2023 European Championships (25m) in Otopeni, and the inaugural European Under-23 1500 metre freestyle title at the 2023 European U-23 Championships in Dublin. He competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games for Northern Ireland, where he won the silver medal in the men's 1500 metre freestyle event.
Wiffen holds the 800 metres freestyle short-course world record with a time of 7:20.46.
Career
Wiffen competed in the men's 800 metres freestyle and 1500 metres freestyle events at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He won his first senior international medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where he placed second in the men's 1500 metre freestyle event and competed for Northern Ireland. In December 2022, Wiffen broke the European record for the 800 metres freestyle short course, becoming the first Irishman to hold a European record in swimming. He competed for Ireland at the 2023 European U-23 Championships in Dublin, where he became the inaugural European Under-23 champion in the 1500 metre freestyle event and won silver medals in the 400 and 800 metre freestyle events.
Wiffen won gold medals in the 400, 800 and 1500 metre freestyle events at the 2023 European Championships (25m) in Otopeni, where he also set a new world record in the 800 metre freestyle short course with a time of 7:20.46 and became the first Irish swimmer to win a European short-course gold medal. At the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, he broke the European record for the 800 metres long course with the time of 7:39.19. Wiffen won gold medals in the 800 metre freestyle and 1500 metre freestyle events at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, becoming the first male Irish swimmer in history to win a medal at the World Championships.
| Year | 400m | 800m | 1500m |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | — | 8th | 9th |
| 2023 | 4th | 4th | |
| 2024 | 7th |  |
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Wiffen qualified for the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle events at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, but decided not to compete in the 400m and instead swim in the 10km open water swimming. He qualified in first place for the 800m freestyle final and on 30 July, he won the gold medal with a new Olympic record time of 7:38.19. The medal was Ireland's twelfth Olympic gold and first in swimming since the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He was the second Irish swimming medalist at the 2024 games and the first individual Olympic Gold medal winner from Northern Ireland since 1972. On 4 August, Wiffen won the bronze medal in the 1500m freestyle final, with a time of 14:39.63. He placed 18th in the men's marathon 10 kilometre event and became the first Irish Olympian to compete in the discipline.
| Year | 800m | 1500m | OW 10 k |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | |
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18th |
Personal life
Wiffen was born in Leeds, England, and moved to Magheralin at the age of two. He has three siblings, twin brother Nathan, sister Elizabeth and brother Ben. The family home is close to the border of County Down and lies in County Armagh. Wiffen's brother Nathan is also a swimmer who finished fourth in the 1500 metre freestyle event at the 2024 European Championships and narrowly missed out on the qualifying time for the event at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Wiffen and his twin brother have a YouTube Channel. They both had minor roles in The Frankenstein Chronicles episode "Seeing Things" and the Game of Thrones episode "The Rains of Castamere"; in the latter, their sister Elizabeth also appeared as Neyela Frey.
Wiffen attends Loughborough University.
Records
| Record | Event | Time | Meet | Date | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR, NR | 800m Freestyle (SC) | 7.20.46 | 2023 European SC Championships | 10 December 2023 | Ireland |
| OR, ER, NR | 800m Freestyle | 7:38.19 | 2024 Summer Olympics | 30 July 2024 | |
| NR | 400m Freestyle | 3:44.35 | 2023 Swim Open Stockholm | 13 April 2023 | Loughborough University |
| NR | 1500m Freestyle | 14:34.07 | 2024 World Championships | 18 February 2024 | Ireland |
| NR | 400m Freestyle (SC) | 3:35.47 | 2023 European SC Championships | 5 December 2023 | Ireland |
| NR | 1500m Freestyle (SC) | 14:09.11 | 2023 European SC Championships | 7 December 2023 |
