Daniel Wiffen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Daniel Wiffen

Personal information
Born	(2001-07-14) 14 July 2001 (age 23) Leeds, England
Sport
Country	Ireland Northern Ireland
Sport	Swimming
Medal record Men's swimming Representing  Ireland Summer Olympics Gold 2024 Paris 800 m freestyle Bronze 2024 Paris 1500 m freestyle World Championships Gold 2024 Doha 800 m freestyle Gold 2024 Doha 1500 m freestyle European U-23 Championships Gold 2023 Dublin 1500 m freestyle Silver 2023 Dublin 800 m freestyle Silver 2023 Dublin 400 m freestyle European Championships (SC) Gold 2023 Otopeni 400 m freestyle Gold 2023 Otopeni 800 m freestyle Gold 2023 Otopeni 1500 m freestyle Representing  Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Silver 2022 Birmingham 1500 m freestyle

Daniel Wiffen (born 14 July 2001) is an amazing Irish swimmer. He is an Olympic champion and has won many other big titles. These include being a two-time world champion and a three-time European short course champion. In December 2024, he was even named BBC Northern Ireland Sports Personality of the Year!

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Daniel won a gold medal in the 800 metre freestyle race. He also won a bronze medal in the 1500 metre freestyle. In the 800 metre race, he set a new Olympic record with a time of 7:38.19. He also won gold medals in both the 800 metre and 1500 metre freestyle events at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha. This made him the first Irish male swimmer ever to win a medal at the World Championships!

Daniel also won three gold medals (400, 800, and 1500 metre freestyle) at the 2023 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Otopeni. He also won the first-ever European Under-23 1500 metre freestyle title at the 2023 European U-23 Swimming Championships in Dublin. When he competed for Northern Ireland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, he won a silver medal in the 1500 metre freestyle. Daniel holds the world record for the 800 metre freestyle in a short course pool, with a time of 7:20.46.

Daniel's Swimming Career

Daniel Wiffen first competed in the Olympic Games at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He swam in the 800 metre and 1500 metre freestyle races. His first big international medal was a silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. He placed second in the 1500 metre freestyle event while representing Northern Ireland.

In December 2022, Daniel broke the European record for the 800 metre freestyle in a short course pool. This made him the first Irish swimmer to hold a European record! He then competed for Ireland at the 2023 European U-23 Swimming Championships in Dublin. There, he became the first European Under-23 champion in the 1500 metre freestyle. He also won silver medals in the 400 and 800 metre freestyle events.

Daniel continued his winning streak at the 2023 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Otopeni. He won gold medals in the 400, 800, and 1500 metre freestyle events. During this competition, he also set a new world record for the 800 metre freestyle in a short course pool (7:20.46). This made him the first Irish swimmer to win a European short-course gold medal. At the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, he broke the European record for the 800 metre long course with a time of 7:39.19.

At the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Daniel won gold medals in both the 800 metre and 1500 metre freestyle events. This was a historic moment, as he became the first Irish male swimmer to win a medal at the World Championships.

World Championships Results

World Championships Results

Year	400m	800m	1500m
2022	—	8th	9th
2023		4th	4th
2024	7th

Daniel qualified for three freestyle events at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. He chose not to swim the 400m race. Instead, he decided to try the 10 km open water swimming event. On July 30, he won the gold medal in the 800m freestyle final. He set a new Olympic record with his time of 7:38.19. This was Ireland's twelfth Olympic gold medal and their first in swimming since the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Daniel was also the first individual Olympic gold medalist from Northern Ireland since 1972. On August 4, Daniel won a bronze medal in the 1500m freestyle final. He finished 18th in the 10 kilometre open water marathon. This made him the first Irish Olympian to compete in that event.

Olympic Results

Olympic Results

Year	800m	1500m	OW 10 k
2024			18th

About Daniel's Life

Daniel Wiffen was born in Leeds, England. When he was two years old, his family moved to Magheralin, which is in County Down. He has three siblings: his twin brother Nathan, his sister Elizabeth, and his brother Ben. Their family home is very close to the border of County Down and County Armagh.

Daniel's twin brother, Nathan, is also a swimmer. Nathan finished fourth in the 1500 metre freestyle event at the 2024 European Aquatics Championships. He just barely missed out on qualifying for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Daniel and Nathan have their own YouTube Channel where they share their adventures. They have even been extras in TV shows! They appeared in an episode of The Frankenstein Chronicles called "Seeing Things." They also appeared in the famous "Red Wedding" scene in the Game of Thrones episode "The Rains of Castamere." Their sister Elizabeth was also in Game of Thrones as a character named Neyela Frey.

Daniel Wiffen is currently a student at Loughborough University.

Daniel's Records

Daniel Wiffen holds several important swimming records. These include world, Olympic, European, and Irish national records.