Sports
DANIELl Wiffen didn’t know who the previous Olympic champions from Northern Ireland were.
Not much of a surprise, really, considering he’s only 23 years old.
Generations have come and gone since Stephen Martin and Jimmy Kirkwood won gold with the Team GB hockey squad 36 years ago in Seoul.
You have to be of a certain vintage to remember that and, shall we say, even more mature if you are old enough to have cheered on Lady Mary Peters when she clinched pentathlon gold in Munich in 1972.
Now, after 36 years of waiting, that golden roll of honour has two more names to be added to it – Wiffen and Jack McMillan.
The journey Wiffen has been on is remarkable.
The first time I saw him swim was in the opening race of the Irish Olympic trials for Tokyo just over three years ago.
He shocked everyone by nailing the qualification time.
In just 40 months he’s become an Olympic champion.
“Honestly, this has been a three-year plan,” he told BBC Sport NI.
“Obviously, I wanted to qualify for the Olympics which was always the first step. Get one of them under your belt.
“My goal was to progress and progress and progress until I became Olympic champion.”
That progress has been spectacular.
“I’m happy to say I’ve had a very good up-slope in terms of swimming,” he added.
“We went from 14th place at the last Olympics, making a World Championships final, winning a Commonwealth medal, fourth at a World Championships, triple European champion, world record, double world champion, and now Olympic champion.
“I’ve won it all, what can I say?
“It’s a dream come true. I mean, children dream of becoming an Olympian and I’ve just become Olympic champion.”
‘There was meant to be a storm, it was the 800m freestyle’
In the crowd at the Paris La Defense Arena was Daniel’s biggest supporter, his twin brother Nathan.
And it turns out his inspiration.
“This is going to sound weird, but there were 20,000 people in this crowd, but the only voice I heard in the crowd was my twin brother. That was what kept me level-headed as soon as I walked out,” he said.
“As soon as I heard that I knew it was a sign and I was going to win it.
“I’ve said in a lot of interviews that my birthday is on Bastille day and it’s 100 years since Ireland [first] competed at the Olympics. There was meant to be a storm at nine o’clock, and I’ll tell you what, it was the 800m freestyle.”
It was a thrilling final with Wiffen chasing down Italian Gregorio Paltrinieri in the closing 100 metres.
He became the first male swimmer representing Team Ireland to win an Olympic medal as well as ending the long drought for an athlete from Northern Ireland to win a gold.
He may not know his history but he certainly isn’t done creating his own legacy.
The 1500m freestyle heats come up on Saturday with the final on Sunday.
Could it be double gold, just like earlier this year at the World Championships?
“We’re not done here. Yeah, I can’t wait for the 1500m freestyle, it’s my favourite event.”
McMillan adds to Northern Ireland’s golden night
As if one Olympic gold medallist wasn’t enough, after waiting for so long, within an hour of Wiffen’s success, Jack McMillan also became an Olympic champion.
This was a second appearance at a Games for the Bangor swimmer who competed for Ireland in Tokyo before transferring to Great Britain.
McMillan is based at the University of Stirling and trains alongside some of the very best Team GB swimmers, including his Olympic team-mate Duncan Scott, so the switch made sense.
After finishing fifth at the Olympic trials, he was selected as a relay-only swimmer for Paris.
His job was to make sure the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay team reached the final while Scott and individual silver medallist Matt Richards were either rested or were swimming other events in the morning.
McMillan did his job to perfection, in fact he swam faster than the Tokyo individual 200m freestyle champion Tom Dean.
However, with Richards and Scott drafted back into the final line-up, McMillan had to watch as they stormed to victory, defending their Olympic title.
“The atmosphere here is just unbelievable, it’s incredible,” reflected McMillan.
“It’s my first Olympics with Team GB, so I’m pretty proud of myself for getting here and obviously for the team.”
It was a night to remember for both swimmers, and for Northern Ireland sport, but stay tuned as there could be more good news from Paris just around the corner. BBCSport
A.I
July 31, 2024
Tags: Daniel Wiffen
