2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
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We saw the final of the men’s 800m freestyle unfold tonight at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France and the top contenders brought us a race to remember.
In a fight to the finish, it was Daniel Wiffen of Ireland who ultimately touched first, clocking 7:38.19 to beat American Bobby Finke by just over half a second en route to topping the podium.
Finke settled for silver in 7:38.75 while Italian veteran Gregorio Paltrinieri captured the bronze in 7:39.38.
Wiffen was one of the favorites entering this final, owning the European Record with his mark of 7:39.19 established at the 2023 World Championships.
But Finke has proven a formidable competitor, having won this event 3 years ago at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Wiffen’s time of 7:38.19 hacked exactly a second off his former European Record but also produced a new Olympic Record, easily overtaking the 7:41.28 Ukrainian Mykhailo Romanchuk put on the books in Tokyo.
With this gold medal, Wiffen became the first Irish Olympic champion in a swimming event in history.
Additionally, the Loughborough-trained Wiffen represents the first Northern Ireland athlete to top the Olympic podium across all sports since Stephen Martin and Jimmy Kirkwood accomplished the feat as a member of Great Britain’s hockey team in 1988.
He is the first individual Irish gold medal winner since Mary Peters won the pentathlon at the 1972 Games in Munich.
- Daniel Wiffen (IRE) – 7:38.19 ***NEW OLYMPIC RECORD***
- Bobby Finke (USA) – 7:38.75
- Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) – 7:39.38
- Ahmed Jaouadi (TUN) – 7:42.83
- Sven Schwarz (GER)/David Aubry (FRA) – 7:43.59
- Luca de Tullio (ITA) – 7:46.16
- Elijah Winnington (AUS) – 7:48.36
Before you all start wetting the bed there is nothing wrong with the article or the headline.
It clearly states Dan is representing Ireland and is FROM Northern Ireland, both of which are true.
This is why I always tell people to avoid this sort of conversation when they visit as it only leads to a lot of aggro.
Signed
Someone from Northern Ireland
Don’t be dense – you know perfectly well why people are upset. Daniel CHOSE to represent Ireland, and therefore he sees himself as being from IRELAND.
You clearly have no idea as to why they choose Ireland or GB. It is NOT political. Sometimes the decisions are made for them.
Wayne McCullough grew up in a fiercely loyalist area of Belfast during The Troubles and won a silver medal for Ireland in Barcelona 1992. Anyone walking around his area of Belfast with an Irish tricolour would get lynched,
It can come down to funding, or sometimes qualifying for Ireland can be seen as an easier path than the GB team. I don’t know the reasons for McMillan switching from Ireland to GB but I guess he might have had an eye on the 4×200 relay and the chance of a medal. It’s fair to say it… Read more »
For football/soccer it would very likely be political as NI and ROI have separate teams and the rivalry is intense to put it mildly, Sometimes the decisions are made for them and that is especially more likely to happen with Olympic sports.
And when I say made for them, it means Swim Ireland might offer funding while GB Aquatics do not.
And it is not just an Ireland/NI choice. Declan Rice of Arsenal competed for ROI U21s and was capped three times in full internationals, but eventually chose to represent England at football. I don’t think he has disclosed his reasons why but many speculate it came down to his ability. Had he not been considered good enough for England… Read more »
But in the latter paragraph, it’s written:
“With this gold medal, Wiffen became the first Irish Olympic champion in a swimming event in history.”
Whether we try to ignore she who must not be named, the first Olympic swimming champion was she who must not be named in 1996.
Man what a bafflingly awful precedent it is that blatantly tampering with a test doesn’t annul your results
This is Swimswam. There are typos in nearly every article. It should say first male, though I’d be very happy for Smith to be erased.
Daniel Wiffen represents Ireland, the ignorance in these kind of stories is phenomenal.
Represents Ireland but from Northern Ireland, which is on the island of Ireland. Doesn’t take a genius to figure out what the headline means, particularly with the 1972 context. Take a chill pill.
Katherine Berkoff represents USA and is FROM Montana.
There are lots of other articles this week including one on Luke Hobson’s individual medal in connection with Texas Longhorns but I don’t see anyone screaming “He’s representing Team USA and not Texas”
“With this gold medal, Wiffen became the first Irish Olympic champion in a swimming event in history.”
It’s wrong
If that’s what is upsetting you then are typos in nearly every SS article.
What you have written thus far is very interesting, but this analogy is a swing and a miss. This is far more akin to someone like Missy Franklin, born in California to two Canadian parents and raised in Colorado, choosing to represent Canada in the Olympics rather than the U.S. It was reportedly under consideration at one point.
Oh please change the headline. Northern Ireland does not have a team, they are part of team GB.
Wiffen represents Ireland.
Unless the article is saying first athlete from the country of Northern Ireland to win gold.
I don’t know🤷🏻♂️
Nothing wrong with the headline. It’s like saying Mark Cavendish is from Isle of Man or Duncan Scott is from Scotland.
“With this gold medal, Wiffen became the first Irish Olympic champion in a swimming event in history.”
It’s wrong.
I’m referring to the NI context. This is something else.
They do have a team in the Commonwealth Games. He plays for them there
Also, with Jack McMillan’s Gold (due to his heat swim in GB’s 4×2 this morning) Northern Ireland have 2 Golds tonight!
Like waiting on a bus for 36 years and two turn up at once.
GB 1988 men’s hockey gold as I’m sure you know.
Wiffen and Finke both beat Ian Thorpe’s time from Fukuoka 2001.
Without that, his times from 23 years ago would have been good for three golds here. As it is he’s still get 2 golds and a bronze.
We will be doing the Thorpe and Mary T WR comparisons for years to come.
Dame Mary Peters
Daniel Wiffen
“Northern Ireland” in the title is unreal.
Why is that?
How is it any different from this SS article on Hobson and Texas
https://staging2.swimswam.com/despite-relay-legacy-luke-hobson-is-first-olympic-medalist-from-texas-in-mens-200-free/
Is it also unreal to have Texas in the headline?
They aren’t talking about Hobson being from the state of Texas, they are talking about him swimming for the University of Texas. And the article is relevant considering the history of 200 freestylers at Texas. It would be like doing an article on Wiffen training at Loughborough University.
So I’m just reading his wiki, he was born in Leeds, England,UK 🏴🇬🇧, moved to and grew up in Northern Ireland, UK🇬🇧 , but represents republic of Ireland for swimming.
Interesting
People from NI can choose their citizenship because of the republican/loyalist split. Rory Mcilroy represents Ireland in the Olympics too, although he’s from
NI.
Wiffen might object to the use of Northern Ireland in the title, most republicans refer to the North of Ireland
Wiffen is very happy to represent Northern Ireland and their flag at the Commonwealth Games.
There is nothing wrong with the headline.
McIlroy even avoided competing in Rio because he knew there’d be a ton of flak no matter who he chose to compete for.
Ultimately he chose Ireland before Tokyo and gave his reason as golf being an All Ireland organisation like rugby, boxing and swimming.
It’s 2024, sectarianism has little influence on what most NI athletes choose. Dan won’t care as he had originally intended to represent GB but got no support as NI falls under the jurisdiction of Swim Ireland, not British Aquatics. Same in gymnastics, where Rhys McClenaghan wanted to represent GB as a junior but NI fell under the jurisdiction of Irish Gymnastics, so they gave him more support and the rest is history.
Politics is not the deciding factor for most young NI athletes anymore.
Spot on. The only sport where it does get political is football (soccer) where it is split in two and the rivalry is intense to put it mildly. Most nationalists in NI choose to play for and support ROI instead.