Irish Olympic hero Daniel Wiffen has revealed what life is like now that he is an Olympic gold medallist.
Wiffen, regarded as one of the brightest swimming talents Ireland has ever produced, lived up to his hype last summer at the Paris Olympics. He claimed the gold medal in the men’s 800-meter freestyle and the bronze medal in the men’s 1500-meter freestyle events. He also competed in the Seine, finishing 18th in his “first and last” 10k open water race.
Life has been very different for Wiffen since becoming an Olympic champion, especially in Ireland.
Speaking to the swimming publication Swimming World this week, Wiffen confirmed that his life has changed dramatically. The superstar swimmer admitted that he can’t walk down the street anymore without being recognised—even in places as far away as Bali, Indonesia.
"I feel like I can’t really walk down the street anymore. In Loughborough (where he trains), it’s pretty big too. I can’t really go outside my house without people asking me for a photo. People come to the swimming pool to watch us train, stuff like that," the 23-year-old told the publication.
“I got famous—the walkouts, celebrations, and videos—all around the world.
“Even in Bali, I’d get people coming up to me at least three times a day asking for photos and talking about the race.”
Wiffen also revealed that he has big plans for 2025, including breaking the 14:30 mark in the 1500 meters.
Daniel Wiffen of Team Ireland (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)“We’ll be in the 14:29s in the summer—Singapore Worlds or even before. I’ll be doing it," he said confidently.
Wiffen further explained that he believes this feat could have been achieved if the 800-meter and 1500-meter events had been scheduled in reverse order in Paris.
“Because I could have done it last summer, and if we’d switched the races around, I think I would have done it."
Winning Olympic gold is often the pinnacle of a career. Even if Wiffen doesn’t reach those heights again, few would begrudge him his success. However, the Irish swimmer believes there were valuable life lessons learnt in Paris, particularly from his 18th-place finish in the open water event—a result he’s determined to improve upon.
“Becoming Olympic champion, everything just changes instantly: you do wonder, why go again and do another race?
“Everything keeps going through your mind, but honestly, this summer I’ve learnt a lot from these Olympic medals.
“I’m happy I came away with 18th place in the open water because it definitely made me want to come back faster. Finishing off an Olympics with 18th place—I wasn’t very happy.”
