Daniel Wiffen (born 14 July 2001) is an Irish swimmer. He is an Olympic champion and bronze medalist, two-time world champion and four-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.
In December 2024, he was named BBC Northern Ireland Sports Personality of the Year.'Wiffen wins BBC NI Sports Personality of the Year'. BBC Sport, 23 December 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2024
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.
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 10 km 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.
Wiffen postponed surgery for appendicitis to compete at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, opting for antibiotics instead. However, the condition forced him to withdraw from the 1500m event after finishing 8th in the 800m final 21.68 seconds back from Gold medalist Ahmed Jaouadi he had previously finished 16th in the 400m earlier that week, after the championship Wiffen went under surgery in August and later announced he would be moving his training base leaving Loughborough University after he had graduated and would join his brother Nathan at the Cal tech university in California. Wiffen went to the 2025 European Short Course Championships in Lublin, He went on to defend his title in the 1500m and won Bronze in the 400m and 800m.
Prior to the Irish Open Swimming Championships in Bangor Wiffen announced he would swap California for Dublin if the times he swims at the meet are not what he was looking for. At the end of April, Wiffen announced the move from California to Dublin. He was confirmed to compete in the summer's Commonwealth Games and European Championships. Wiffen finished 5th in the 400m at the Commonwealth Games and 4th in the 800m behind a Australian podium sweep after the race he claimed he felt "a bit rusty". Wiffen won silver behind Sam Short in the 1500m at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Major Championships Results +Olympic ResultsYear800m1500mOW 10 k202014th20th—202418th
World Championship Results Year400m800m1500m2022—8th9th20234th4th20247th202516th8thWithdrew
European Championship Results (50m) +Year400m800m1500m4x200m Freestyle Relay2026DNS4th8th11th with Shortt, Rynn, Bailey
Commonwealth Games Results Year400m800m1500m20224th—20265th4th
European Championships Results (25m) +Year400m800m1500m2023 WR2025
Personal life Wiffen was born in Leeds, England, and moved to Magheralin at the age of two. He was a pupil of St Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh; in 2025 he gave his former school €29,000, from an Olympic grant, towards a new gym.'Wiffen donates €29,000 Olympic legacy fund to former school'. RTÉ, 9 June 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025 He attends Loughborough University. He has three siblings, twin brother Nathan, sister Elizabeth and brother Ben.Raf Diallo, 'Paris 2024: Daniel Wiffen ice cold as Olympic zenith carried on commentary wave (video 2)'. RTÉ Sport, 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024 The family home is in Ballymacbredan County Down however the family associate with County Armagh.'Armagh or Down? Which county can claim Daniel Wiffen?'. BBC News, 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024 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.Nathan Wiffen misses out on place at Olympic Games, Nigel Ringland, BBC Sport, 26 May 2024
Wiffen and his twin brother have a YouTube Channel. They both were extras in The Frankenstein Chronicles episode "Seeing Things" and the Game of Thrones episode "The Rains of Castamere," in which they appeared in the famous Red Wedding scene; in the latter, their sister Elizabeth also appeared as Neyela Frey.
Records +RecordEventTimeMeetDateClubWR, NR800m Freestyle (SC)7.20.462023 European SC Championships10 December 2023IrelandOR, NR800m Freestyle7:38.192024 Summer Olympics30 July 2024NR400m Freestyle3:44.352023 Swim Open Stockholm13 April 2023Loughborough UniversityNR1500m Freestyle14:34.072024 World Championships18 February 2024IrelandNR400m Freestyle (SC)3:35.472023 European SC Championships5 December 2023IrelandNR1500m Freestyle (SC)14:09.112023 European SC Championships7 December 2023NR400m Individual Medley (SC)4:11.052022 Scottish Championships9 December 2022Loughborough University
Notes
References
External links Official website