Daniel Wiffen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Daniel Wiffen

Personal information
Born	(2001-07-14) 14 July 2001 (age 24) 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 on July 14, 2001) is an amazing Irish swimmer. He is a true champion! Daniel has won gold and bronze medals at the Olympics. He is also 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.

Daniel won a gold medal in the men's 800 metre freestyle at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. He set a new Olympic record with his incredible time of 7:38.19. He also earned a bronze medal in the men's 1500 metre freestyle at the same Olympics.

Before that, Daniel won both the 800 metre freestyle and 1500 metre freestyle events. This happened at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha. He made history by becoming the first male Irish swimmer to win a medal at the World Championships!

Daniel also won gold medals in the 400, 800, and 1500 metre freestyle events. These wins were at the 2023 European Championships (25m) in Otopeni. He also won the first-ever European Under-23 1500 metre freestyle title. This was at the 2023 European U-23 Championships in Dublin. He competed for Northern Ireland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. There, he won a silver medal in the men's 1500 metre freestyle event.

Daniel Wiffen holds the world record for the 800 metres freestyle in a short course pool. His amazing time is 7:20.46.

Daniel Wiffen's Swimming Journey

Early Olympic and Commonwealth Games Appearances

Daniel Wiffen first competed in the Olympic Games at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He swam in both the men's 800 metres freestyle and 1500 metres freestyle events.

His first big international medal came at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. He won a silver medal in the men's 1500 metre freestyle event. He was representing Northern Ireland at these games.

Breaking Records and Winning European Titles

In December 2022, Daniel broke the European record for the 800 metres freestyle in a short course pool. This made him the first Irishman to hold a European record in swimming.

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 set a new world record in the 800 metre freestyle short course. His time was an incredible 7:20.46. He also became 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 metres long course. His time was 7:39.19.

Becoming a World Champion

Daniel won gold medals in the 800 metre freestyle and 1500 metre freestyle events. This happened at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha. He made history by becoming the first male Irish swimmer to win a medal at the World Championships.

World Championships Results

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

Olympic Glory in Paris 2024

Daniel qualified for the 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle events at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. He chose not to compete in the 400m. Instead, he decided to swim in the 10 km open water swimming event.

On July 30, 2024, Daniel won the gold medal in the 800m freestyle final. He set a new Olympic record with his time of 7:38.19. This gold medal was Ireland's twelfth Olympic gold. It was also the first in swimming since the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Daniel was the second Irish swimming medalist at the 2024 games. He was also the first individual Olympic Gold medal winner from Northern Ireland since 1972.

On August 4, 2024, Daniel won the bronze medal in the 1500m freestyle final. His time was 14:39.63. He also placed 18th in the men's marathon 10 kilometre event. This made him the first Irish Olympian to compete in that discipline.

Olympic Results

Year	800m	1500m	OW 10 k
2024			18th

Daniel Wiffen's Life Outside the Pool

Family and Education

Daniel Wiffen was born in Leeds, England. When he was two years old, his family moved to Magheralin. He went to St Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh. In 2025, he gave his old school €29,000 from an Olympic grant. This money will help build a new gym for the school. Daniel also attends Loughborough University.

He has three siblings: his twin brother Nathan, his sister Elizabeth, and his brother Ben. Their family home is near the border of County Down and is in County Armagh. Daniel's 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 qualifying for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Fun Facts and Hobbies

Daniel and his twin brother Nathan have their own YouTube Channel where they share their adventures. They have even been extras in TV shows! They appeared in The Frankenstein Chronicles episode "Seeing Things." They were also in the Game of Thrones episode "The Rains of Castamere," during the famous Red Wedding scene. Their sister Elizabeth also appeared in Game of Thrones as Neyela Frey.

Daniel Wiffen's Records