Wiffen sets European record in 800m freestyle

Daniel Wiffen produced one of the most noteworthy swims ever by an Irish competitor after he set a European record in the 800 metres freestyle at the Irish National Winter Championships in Dublin.

Wiffen won the race in a time of 7:25.96 to break the outstanding European and Irish records, just two seconds short of the world record set by Grant Hackett in 2008.

He had already bettered his own national record in the 800m at the Scottish Short Course Championships last weekend with a time of 7:35.71.

But today's time has taken almost 10 seconds off that short-lived record as the 2020 Olympian showed why he is becoming a genuine medal possibility for Ireland in Paris.

The old European record stood to Italy's Gregorio Paltrinieri, the reigning world champion, at 7:27.94 set at the European Championships in Kazan in Russia in 2021.

Wiffen will also swim in the 400m freestyle on Saturday at the National Aquatic Centre.

Speaking to RTÉ Sport, he said: "Coming into this, last week I thought I had the chance to break the world record or close enough. I was feeling good before the race. To be honest I thought I was going quite slow but then I saw 7:25.

"I didn't expect to go that fast. I wasn't focused on anyone around, I had the blinders on and just trying to focus on hitting my turns and getting the right strokes. I guess it worked out.

"I'm quite young so next year I'll go for the world record. I'm over the moon, I'm quite speechless. I don't know what to say.

"I still have to work on some technical points - even in that race I missed a couple of turns - so I have ways to bring it on.

"I guess you can say I've been working in the darkness a bit over in England. We have such a great group in Loughborough with world champions. I'm just