swimmer Daniel Wiffen celebrates winning a race

Daniel Wiffen celebrates after winning the Men's 800m Freestyle Final.(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Daniel Wiffen wins remarkable gold in Paris

Daniel Wiffen became the first athlete from Northern Ireland to win Olympic gold in 36 years after a phenomenal performance in Paris.

The current º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ student stormed to victory in a gruelling Men’s 800m Freestyle final in a record time of 7:38.19.

Inside a raucous La Défense Arena, the 23-year-old produced a stunning finish to comprehensively hold off the challenge of American Bobby Finke.

Wiffen – who is coached by º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s Director of Swimming, Andi Manley – spoke before the games of his confidence to deliver a medal and he certainly delivered on that promise.

After cruising through the heats, he took the favourable Lane 4 in the final and soon set to work hunting down a landmark medal. Keeping pace for the first 600m, Wiffen timed his attack to perfection, hitting the wall at a canter after a rapid final 50m. 

A visibly emotional Wiffen collected his medal in front of his family and wider support team. 

Daniel Wiffen poses with his gold medal

Image provided by (AP Photo/Ashley Landis).

Speaking to BBC Sport after the race, he said: “I was writing 'I'm going into the history books', and that's exactly what I've done.

“It was definitely the way I wanted to execute it, it wasn't the time that I wanted, but Olympic finals aren't about getting times, it's about getting your hand on the wall first."

Wiffen’s medal is º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s first gold of the games and follows Adam Peaty’s silver on Sunday.

Daniel Wiffen recently told º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Sport how he spends a typical day. To watch the full feature visit here: /news-events/news/2024/july/day-in-the-life-swimmer-daniel-wiffen/

For all the latest º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ news around major global sporting events, visit the University’s dedicated website here: /sport/athletes-global-stage/

Join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #Lboro2Paris

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: 24/116

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It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme and named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2024 QS World University Rankings – the eighth year running. 

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is ranked 6th in The UK Complete University Guide 2025, 10th in the Guardian University League Table 2024 and 10th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024. 

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’, and in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 over 90% of its research was rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally-excellent’. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes. 

The º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking. 

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