A brave and pulsating swim by Daniel Wiffen has won him bronze in the 400m freestyle on day one of the European Short-Course Championships in Lublin, Poland.
In his first competitive outing since undergoing appendix surgery in September, Wiffen made a strong effort to defend his title won two years ago, the Olympic 800m champion moving in front by the halfway mark before being closed down by Britain’s Jack McMillan in the last 100m.
It proved a frantic 16-length final, just over a second separating the eight finalists in the qualifying heats earlier on Tuesday, with Olympic champion Lukas Martens from Germany getting past Wiffen in the last 50m to snatch silver.
McMillan took the win in 3:36.33, Martens clocking 3:36.51, with Wiffen taking bronze in 3:37.02. The 24-year-old from Armagh still looks good to defend his titles in his preferred events, the 800m and 1,500m, later in the week.
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Starting in lane four after his 3:37.04 in the heats made him the fastest qualifier, Wiffen sat back a little in the opening lengths as Martens pressed clear. Wiffen took over the lead after the 150m mark, but McMillan had a little more in reserve, the Belfast 25-year-old storming through to win his first European short-course title.
McMillan helped Team GB win Olympic gold in the 4x200m freestyle last year (although he didn’t swim in the final), becoming only the second swimmer from Northern Ireland to win an Olympic swimming medal, Wiffen beating him to the honour in winning the 800m freestyle 20 minutes earlier.
“I must say I’m very happy,” said Wiffen of his effort in the final. “Taking that long out of the water, having that surgery process, then having to come back and be at my best again. And all the stuff in moving to California.
“It’s amazing to be back on the podium, I’m just a little bit gutted, because I kind of died a bit [towards the end]. It was so close, it was a great race, and two Northern Irishmen on the podium.
“When you get that surgery, you’re like ‘am I ever going to get back to my best?’ So to be on the podium just gives me another boost in training, so still happy. I said I wanted one gold here, I’ve two chances left, so hopefully I get one of them at least.”
Up next for Wiffen is the 1,500m, the final set for Thursday, then the 800m, the final of which takes place on Saturday.
It’s two years since Wiffen made his big breakthrough in the 25m pool when he won the 400m-800m-1,500m treble at the 2023 European Short-Course Championships, his first international senior gold medals.
There he also became the first Irish swimmer to break a world record, taking almost three seconds off the 800m mark held for 15 years by Australia’s Grant Hackett.
Also on day one Lublin, John Shortt produced another sensational swim to break his Irish 200m backstroke record for the second time in eight hours, winning his semi-final in 1:48.84.
That smashed the 1:50.65 Shortt clocked in qualifying on Tuesday morning, the 18-year-old from Galway now putting himself in real medal contention for Wednesday’s final
Under-23 European champion Ellie McCartney booked her place in the women’s 100m breaststroke final, coming fifth in her semi-final in 1:04.75 to nail the last qualifying spot in Wednesday’s showdown.
Earlier in the men’s 100m breaststroke heats, Eoin Corby was the best of the Irish, clocking 58.34, Adam Bradley also swimming a best of 59.54.
Ellen Walshe opened her championships in the 50m butterfly, the Templeogue swimmer warming up for her main events by clocking 25.86. Made her Ireland debut, Rosalie Phelan swam a best time of 26.88.
In the men’s 50m butterfly, Jack Cassin (23.34), Evan Bailey (23.73) and Matthew Hamilton (23.91) all tuned up for their main events later in the week. Cormac Rynn and Denis O’Brien were also in action in the 400m freestyle, Rynn clocking a best time of 3:44.50 with O’Brien touching in 3:52.91.
