Daniel Wiffen: "We’re going to see multiple Olympic medalists, and maybe gold medalists, for Ireland in 2024"

If your history with swimming is largely limited to traumatic flashbacks of red, chlorine-ravaged eyes and chaotic after-school lessons, then you might be forgiven for having missed one of the sport’s most remarkable Irish success stories in decades last month.

On December 10, Daniel Wiffen – a charismatic 22-year-old twin who hails from Magheralin, Co Armagh – made history at the European Short Course Championships in Romania, by breaking the sport’s oldest world record, in the 800m freestyle event, by over two seconds.

He came away from the Championships with three gold medals, and the honour of having claimed Irish swimming’s first ever world record. Hearing "our national anthem in the final – and three times at a meet – was just surreal,” he says.

But looking back now – and looking ahead to the upcoming events on his calendar, including the Paris Olympics this summer – he insists nothing much has changed.

“In my head, I’d already been a world record holder before I did it,” he laughs. “I put those steps in place, so it was just about executing it on the day. I’m getting more attention, and I’m more well-known in the sport, but it hasn’t changed me at all. I’m still the same person. Well, that’s what I think… You can ask my coaches!”

13 August 2023; Daniel Wiffen of Ireand poses for a portrait with his 1500m freestyle gold medal during day three of the European U23 Swimming Championships at the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin. Photo by Tyler Miller/Sportsfile

Despite his success and dedication, his journey to swimming stardom has been somewhat unlikely. For one, it was by no means the most popular sport in his local area when he and his twin brother Nathan – who’s also his competitor – were growing up.

“At my school, everybody primarily played Gaelic football and hurling,” he tells me. “Me and Nathan were the only people in St Pat’s who actually swam competitively, which was kind of weird. We always got the Swimmer of the Year award, at least!

“My mum swam a little bit, but it was kind of a new sport for our family,” he adds. “My brother set the pace, but they say the younger siblings are always going to be better than the older siblings, because the older siblings have to try it out first. So he set us up.”

Even when he started competing, he reveals that his prospects didn’t always look so bright.

“If you talked to anyone when I was younger, they’d probably have said that I had no potential,” he remarks. “The other day, I asked one of the coaches, who has known me since I was 14, ‘Did you ever think I was going to break a world record?’ And he was like, ‘No, I honestly just thought you’d be good nationally.’ That was the same even going through the youth programmes. I don’t think they ever saw anything special in me.”

Daniel goes as far as to claim that he “wasn’t really that great of a swimmer” before moving over to Loughborough University in Leicestershire, England, to study Computer Science.

“I mean, I was making the World and European Junior Championships, but I was placing around 14th, or 20th,” he elaborates. “I wasn’t anywhere near the medals.”

But he had already laid the groundwork for future greatness.

“When I was younger, I just knew what I wanted, and I worked everyday towards it – I put in the work,” he resumes. “I made sure I was doing everything my coach asked. Then, when I moved to university, it was heightened even more, because I had people to chase – world champions, and European record holders – and I was aiming for them everyday, until I beat them.

“I probably put quite a bit of pressure on myself, to be honest,” he continues. “But I embrace it – and I like it. I’m only putting the pressure on myself because I know I can cope with it. And I’m not letting anybody else put the pressure on me. At the end of the day, I’m going to do what I want to do.”

Daniel’s brother Nathan has also joined him at Loughborough – and he finds that training and competing so closely has been surprisingly beneficial.

“We’re twins, so the bond that we have is different from everybody else,” he explains. “We’ve been training together for around ten months now, and he’s getting faster. He’s probably going to make this Olympics as well. I’m more looking forward to sharing the Olympics with Nathan, than actually racing at the moment!

“If he’s there, I know I’m going to swim fast,” he adds. “Like at the Europeans – Nathan was there, and that was the first time I won a gold medal. And I ended up winning three, and a world record. Maybe Nathan should be at every competition!”

The pair used to work together far outside the world of swimming – appearing in a string of TV series during their younger years. Among the highlights was Game Of Thrones’ infamous ‘Red Wedding’ scene, in which they featured as extras.

“To be honest, we weren’t allowed to see a lot of it, because of us obviously being so young,” he reflects. “I remember the costume fitting, that was amazing. We got to meet all the famous actors, and we ate lunch with them. It was just really cool to be part of. I’m a big fan of those medieval kinds of shows – so to be in one is even better.

“We did a couple of other things,” he continues. “We were in The Frankenstein Chronicles [starring Sean Bean], and Dani’s Castle on CBBC. I really enjoyed it. At the moment there’s just no time – but after swimming, if they want to cast me, I’d love to go back to it. Maybe they’ll want to cast me in a role in a movie of my life!”

Daniel hasn’t completely stepped away from the camera, however. He takes great pride in he and his brother’s YouTube channel, Wiffen Twins, where they offer a behind-the-scenes look at their training and competitions.

“We love it,” he says of their videos. “We started mainly because our parents wanted to see what we were doing. But people want an insight into what a world record holder trains like. I really don’t have any secrets in the sessions. I’ll film them and show the world – and try to inspire the younger generation, showing them what they can do.”

Even away from his YouTube channel, he admits that he’s a bit of a showman, particularly around competitions.

“I like to draw attention to myself, I guess!” he laughs. “Our walk-outs at the European Championships were a lot of fun. Nathan was doing finger-guns walking out, and I was like, ‘You know what, we’re going to do that in the final.’

“You can see I’m quite animated after the race as well,” he adds. “But you’ve got to show your personality – and I guess I’m an outgoing person!”

In the run-up to Paris 2024, Daniel hopes to see swimming getting the same kind of attention from Irish viewers as all the other sports – something that hasn’t always been the case.

“I feel like we’re not as recognised as the bigger sports,” he reflects. “But we soon will be. We’ve got such high-level finishings. At the World Championships, Mona [McSharry] got to the final, I got to the final, and Ellen [Walshe] got to the semi-final. For this Olympic cycle, we’ve got so many potential medalists on the team. So realistically, they’re going to have to look at us!

“I just can’t wait to get there,” he continues. “I think we’re going to see multiple Olympic medalists, and maybe gold medalists, for Ireland in 2024.”

• The Paris 2024 Olympic Games takes place from July 26 – August 11.