Daniel Wiffen says week has left him ‘very proud’ but emotionally drained

Daniel Wiffen didn't win the top prize at the Olympics, but he did manage to secure the bronze in the 1,500m freestyle event at La Defense Arena. Despite knowing early on that he wouldn't be taking home the gold, he continued to push himself, determined to earn a spot on the Olympic medal podium once again.

Wiffen's bronze medal has helped Ireland reach a new record at this competition, with a total of seven medals now surpassing the six achieved in London back in 2012.

Wiffen has made history by becoming the first Irish man to win two medals in the same Olympic Games, and he is not finished yet. The 23-year-old swimmer from Armagh is already looking forward to the 10km marathon swim in the Seine next Friday.

It's another sign of Wiffen's successful career that this moment was slightly disappointing for him. He admitted that the highlight of the Olympic swimming event in Paris La Defense Arena was Bobby Finke from the USA.

Wiffen won the 800m freestyle title last Tuesday, while Finke took silver. Determined not to give up his 1,500m title without a fight, the 24-year-old from Florida broke the world record by dominating the race from start to finish, finishing in 14:30.67.

In general, I am happy with how my week went. I do wish things were different, though. It would have been nice to win the gold on the last night and the bronze on the third day," Wiffen said, still feeling positive despite this. "We had high hopes for the week, and I was able to win at least one gold medal, so I am proud of myself."

"I was only aiming for third place, but I was constantly checking out my competition. In the end, my performance was pretty bad because I was completely exhausted. But hey, I'm satisfied. Like I mentioned before, I won the bronze medal."

The silver medal was won by Italy's Gregorio Paltrinieri with a time of 14 minutes and 34.55 seconds. Paltrinieri had previously won this event at the Rio Olympics in 2016. The bronze medal went to Wiffen, who finished with a time of 14 minutes and 39.63 seconds. However, he was never really in the running for a second gold as Finke was clearly the strongest swimmer in the race. Fourth place went to David Betlehem from Hungary with a time of 14 minutes and 40.91 seconds.

Finke was hoping to make history by becoming the first American man to win a medal in an individual swimming event at the Games. This would be a milestone, as it has rarely happened in the past. His impressive time of 14:30.18 broke the world record set by China's Sun Yang at the 2012 Olympics in London. Sun Yang was later banned for doping after tampering with a sample.

"I'm glad that the record was broken, it was time for it to be surpassed," Wiffen stated. "I'm truly happy for Bobby. He's a strong competitor and everyone in the field is very supportive, which is not always the case in other events. It's great that the three of us were able to share the podium again, even if in a different order this time in the 800m. It's going to be a tough battle for the top spot in the coming years."

Wiffen acknowledged that the week was challenging with both heats and finals in the 800m and 1,500m races, totaling 92 lengths. He felt emotionally exhausted but proud that he was able to deliver strong performances in the finals.

"To tell the truth, even though I may seem confident, I was actually very nervous every time I walked out there. I'm relieved that it's over because I won't have to deal with those nerves for a while, at least until the next competition."

When it comes to his last opportunity to win a medal at the Seine, which involves swimming 200 lengths in the pool for the 10km race, the current strategy is to approach it with no set plan.

"Of course, since it's my debut race, I have quite high hopes. I definitely aim to be on the podium for the first time, which would be amazing. However, I understand that anything can happen, so I'm staying open-minded."

The open water competition requires strategic thinking. It's not necessarily about how fast you swim or how long you can go without stopping. The focus is on the race itself. It's a unique style of competition that requires a different approach. We'll have to wait and see how it all plays out.

I have made up my mind that I will not be swimming in the Seine until the day of the race. I do not want to risk getting sick before the big day. This decision will bring a new challenge as I am going into it without much preparation, but I am looking forward to the experience.