Daniel Wiffen made historical past as he claimed Ireland’s first Olympic gold medal of
the Paris Games with a shocking victory in the boys’s 800m freestyle closing.
Wiffen turned Ireland’s first male medallist in the pool and third total after Michelle Smith and Mona McSharry, who solely made it onto the listing on Monday with bronze in the ladies’s 100m breaststroke.
Although Leeds-born Wiffen was trailing Gregorio Paltrineri with 50m left, he overhauled the Italian then held off a late surge from Bobby Finke of the United States to take prime spot by 0.56 seconds.
While Finke took silver and Paltrineri bronze, Wiffen, who received the world title on the distance in February, was celebrating an Olympic record-winning time of seven minutes and 38.19 seconds.
Tokyo 2020 marked the return of the boys’s occasion for the primary time since 1904 and Wiffen missed out on the ultimate, however he laid down a marker in Paris with the quickest qualifying time in Monday’s heats.
He first hit the entrance simply earlier than the midway stage and whereas he ceded management to Paltrineri, the 23-year-old was simply 0.1 secs adrift and he had a lot left in the tank to mount a closing cost. Finke did too however Wiffen’s administration of the race was paced completely and he had simply sufficient to carry off the American.
“I don’t think a lot of people actually believed me that I was going to do it tonight but yeah it was incredible,” Wiffen mentioned. “I’ve carried out it – that is all I wish to say!
Wiffen was visibly emotional after setting a brand new Olympic record-winning time
“I was so nervous, that’s the most nervous I’ve ever been for a race but do you know what calmed me down – I heard my brother shout for me as soon as I walked out. I heard none of the crowd – just him, and that’s what calmed me down, and really levelled my head.
“I’m not going to lie, there’s this complete saying going round that I’m getting ‘Finked’ – I’m glad to say I have never been ‘Finked” so obviously pretty happy to get my hand on the wall first.”
Ireland pays tribute to ‘history-maker’ Wiffen
Wiffen turns into the primary gold medallist from Northern Ireland for 36 years and Ireland’s first-ever male swimming gold medallist.
The final athletes from Northern Ireland to win Olympic gold had been Stephen Martin and Jimmy Kirkwood, who had been a part of the successful Team GB Hockey workforce at Seoul in 1988, whereas Wiffen is the primary particular person gold medallist from Northern Ireland since Mary Peters triumphed for GB in the pentathlon at Munich in 1972.
Stormont First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly congratulated the swimming hero.
“This is truly a momentous occasion for Daniel and for local sport,” they mentioned in a joint assertion. “Not only has he secured NI’s first Olympic gold medal in 36 years, it is also the first medal of the Games for our athletes and he set a new Olympic record. It was a fantastic performance by the @TeamIreland swimmer.”
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