This is somehow the new normal. Daniel Wiffen got down off the medal podium and walked around the pool and though he was smiling throughout, the only thing anyone wanted to know was whether or not he was disappointed with his Olympic bronze medal. An Irish flag hanging from the roof during the anthems and yet we’re tempted to colour the night in shades of regret. Mad times.
Wiffen had just come third behind a world record swim by Bobby Finke of the USA. The Americans sent their usual battalions of male swimmers to Paris but they had to wait until now, in the last solo race on the last night in the pool, to find themselves a gold medal. In that context, bronze for Wiffen is no cause for sadness.
And yet, the uncertain feeling lingered. Of all his achievements this week, fritzing the dial on what people expect of him may be the most lasting. Anything less than gold now brings questions – and not just from outsiders. He went over to his family and got smothered in a group hug and even in that sacred space, there was no avoiding it.
“Nathan was giving me this stare,” he said afterwards, laughing at the absurdity of his twin brother getting shirty. “And I was like ‘Woah, what are you talking about here? I’ve got a bronze medal, leave me alone!’ Obviously Nathan’s going to be a massive critic to me but my family were still very happy. I’m going to ring Nathan after this, I’m sure he’s going to have something to say.
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“I mean, I’m happy. I’m sure they’re proud of me, I’m just going to show them the gold medal and not the bronze when I see them… And, you know, I don’t know what else to say because I’m Olympic champion still!”
He’s a lot more than that. Wiffen’s bronze in the 1,500m freestyle makes him the first Irishman in any sport to win multiple medals at a single Olympics. He’s a certified global name in one of the headline Olympic sports, with at least Los Angeles and probably Brisbane to come. Most of all, he is a beacon now for Irish swimming, a north star for a sport that has been crying out for someone to believe in.
They turned out in their droves to see him. From tight by the pool deck to the literal rafters of La Defense Arena, green jerseys and Tricolours filled the seats. They rose to acclaim their beanpole overlord, still a little delirious at the notion that this is a thing now. Another Olympic final, another Olympic medal. After everything.
Everywhere you looked, you could pick out Irish swimming people, drinking it all in. These are the lifers, the dutiful heroes who’ve made it their business to keep pumping breaths into the body of a sport that has had so many attempts on its life over the years. They kept on through the abuse scandals, through Michelle de Bruin, through decades of government neglect. They couldn’t have dreamed they were doing it for a week like this.
Yet here they were, bouncing on the balls of their feet to scream Wiffen to his third-place finish. Try telling them that bronze is a disappointment, see the look on their faces. It just wouldn’t compute.
For the man himself, trying to wrap words around it all was tricky. At times, as Wiffen’s sentences jumped over each other and some of his trains of thought trailed off into sidings, it was worth remembering that he only turned 23 at the start of July. He likes to front things out and shape as if it’s all a bit of a performance piece. But eventually, real talk makes itself heard.
“I think the week itself has been probably one of the most emotionally draining experiences I’ve ever gone through,” Wiffen said afterwards. “And to be honest, I know I come across like I don’t get nervous but I was like just sh**ting myself, honestly, when I was walking out every time. And I’m so happy to be done with because I don’t have to deal with these nerves for a long time now until the next competition.
“I’m pretty proud of myself that I was able to walk out and put together two good performances in finals. I mean, the highs of winning a gold medal are great but when you have to put it behind you after the 800 – all I was thinking about was, ‘When do I get ready for this 1,500?’
“I didn’t get any chance to celebrate really at all. It was kind of just like two hours before I went to bed. I looked at the medal and I was like, all right, [the medal is] going back in the box and we’re not going to look again until the meet’s done. So I mean, it’s just emotionally draining and now I’m happy to be done.”
His bronze medal stamped a wax seal on a weekend unlike any in the history of Irish sport. Three days, three sports, three medals, with Ireland’s greatest ever Olympic boxer doing her thing in between. From Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy on Friday through Rhys McClenaghan and Kellie Harrington on Saturday and on to Wiffen on Sunday. Rowing, gymnastics, boxing, swimming. An Olympic chocolate box, not a strawberry crème among them.
And they’re not done. McClenaghan told a gathering of Irish journalists at lunchtime that his aim for Los Angeles in four years is to broaden out and go for the all-around title. The rowers have talked already about bulking out and going heavyweight in 2028. Even Harrington, who has been adamant for some time that this is the end, seems to be resiling a little, conceding she might keep competing at national level.
As for Wiffen, he isn’t even done with this week, never mind the future. He still plans to go for the open water 10km swim on Friday morning. Onwards, the only way he knows. The only way any of them do.
Seven medals makes it officially the most successful Irish Olympics ever. And it isn’t over yet.
