Who Is Daniel Wiffen? Irish Swimming Champion Who Broke 15-Year Old World Record in 800M Freestyle

Each day in the swimming community is exciting as one or the other prodigy delivers terrific performances in the water. This time it is the Irish swimmer, Daniel Wiffen. This talented entity has been the face of Ireland at the Olympic, World, and European Levels. Not just this, he also represented Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games. Recently, he stunned the entire swimming world with his brilliant performance at the European Short Course Championships 2023.

He gracefully clinched gold in his expertise, the 800m freestyle. Not only did he stand atop the podium in this event, but also broke a legendary 15-year-old record. His fans and all the spectators jumped in excitement as soon as he touched the wall first. This was one of the most iconic performances to witness.

Daniel Wiffen beautifully broke a legendary record

The 22-year-old proved his worth to the world by defeating an undefeatable record at the European Short Course Championships. He jumped in the water with his sights on the trophy with just the determination to give his best and indeed he did. Wiffen cruised towards the finish line to claim the title of the 800m freestyle.

Scoring a 7:20.46, he created a world record by smashing a 15-year-old record set by Australia’s Grant Hackett on the 20th of July 2008. This record was untouched until Daniel Wiffen entered the picture and outdid this record.

Wiffen slashed over three seconds from Hackett’s record which was 7:23.42. Grant Hackett held this world record of 800 freestyle since the 3rd of August 2001, which is less than a month after Wiffen was born. This legendary performance by Wiffen will remain instilled in all the enthusiasts’ hearts. He left behind David Aubry from France who was in the second position. In the third position was Ukraine’s Mykhai Romanchuk with a time of 7:31.20. He has also delivered multiple other stunning performances in his career.

Other terrific performances by the 21-year-old Irish swimmer

Daniel Wiffen has waved Ireland’s flag high in multiple prestigious competitions. He beautifully represented Ireland at the European Short Course Championship 2023. He came out as the champion of 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle events. He became the first swimmer who represented Ireland and won the European short-course gold. Apart from this, he also nabbed a silver in the 1500m freestyle at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

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This 21-year-old did not fail to showcase his talent at the 2020 Summer Olympics as well. He competed in the men’s 800m freestyle and 1500m freestyle. Adding more value to his name, he broke the European record for the 800m freestyle short course in December 2022. With this, he became the first Irishman to hold a recognized European record in swimming.

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