Latest news with #DanielWiffen
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Wiffen comes up short in his 400m heat at Worlds
Daniel Wiffen said he was disappointed with his time in Sunday's 400m freestyle heat at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore but is not concerned about his overall form despite a recent bout of Magheralin swimmer finished in three minutes, 47.57 seconds for 16th place which was not enough to see him into Sunday's final, but feels the initial return to the pool will serve as preparation for the defence of his 800m and 1500m this week, the 800m Olympic champion revealed in a blog post he had been suffering from he is confident the worst is behind him and has ambitions to make an impact throughout the rest of the championships."So I had appendicitis about five weeks ago," Wiffen revealed."Obviously I'm hopefully fully covered at this point, I'm not letting it affect me at this World Championships, I'm here to race and race fast." 'I didn't follow the plan' - Wiffin The 24-year-old put his 400m time down to poor execution on the day but remains focussed on what lies up is the 800m freestyle heats on Tuesday where he will seek to secure a top-eight finish to qualify for Wednesday's final."I was pretty disappointed with the overall time; I didn't follow the race plan I was meant to go," he said after Sunday's 400m heat."Honestly though I'm happy, it's a warm-up for my main events later in the week, I'm looking forward to the 800m in the next two days."Swimming for GB, Belfast's Jack McMillan also failed to make it through to the 400m final with his time of 3:47.28 only good enough for Ellie McCartney posted the second fastest time of her career in the 200m individual medley but the 2:13.86 finish was not enough to see her through to the semi-final and will now turn her attention to the 200m breaststroke on was better news in the same event for Ellen Walshe who secured a semi-final place, finishing fourth in her heat in 2:11.45 and 10th overall to book a place in Sunday's semi-final at 13:00 Ryan finished in 23.46 for 28th in the men's 50m butterfly and will now concentrate on the 50m freestyle, while a season's best 1:00.63 for Eoin Corby in the men's 100m breaststroke was not enough to see him through as he now sets his sights on the 200m on Thursday.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wiffen wants more world titles and unbeaten run
Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen says he hopes that defending his world titles will mark the start of an unbeaten run during the Los Angeles Olympic cycle. Magheralin swimmer Wiffen enjoyed a memorable 2024, winning 800m freestyle gold for Team Ireland at the Paris Games after his World Championship double in February. He will defend his 1500m and 800m freestyle world titles in Singapore, and will also look to challenge in the 400m. The 24-year-old says the prospect of remaining undefeated until the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 has given him a new focus. "For me, it is about trying to win again and that motivation to stay undefeated going into LA," Wiffen said. Wiffen took some time out of the pool after his Olympic success and returned to competition at the Irish Championships in April, where he set the fastest time of the year in the 800m freestyle. He will first race at the Worlds in Singapore in the 400m freestyle heats on Sunday (03:20 BST). Should he advance, the 400m final is at 19:00 BST. He will also compete in the 800m and 1500m heats on Tuesday and Saturday. Wiffen said it has "been amazing" being the reigning Olympic and World champion, but added his focus shifted to future goals pretty quickly after the Games in Paris. "I looked back at the races in Paris, and looked at what has changed this year and what we are doing differently. "Moving on from that, you look and what is next and that was pretty easy for me." Ellie McCartney and Ellen Walsh are also in action on Sunday in the 200m individual medley, while Shane Ryan goes in the 50m butterfly and Eoin Corby swims in the 50m breastsroke. Olympic bronze medallist Mona McSharry and Larne's Danielle Hill will be in action later in the championships. 'Back-to-back world titles would top Olympic gold' 'Gold is what we swim for' Wiffen is not the only Olympic champion from Northern Ireland competing in Singapore, with Jack McMillan competing for Great Britain in the 4x200m relay. McMillan helped Team GB win gold in Paris by swimming in the heats of the relay and he is now targeting a world medal to add to his collection. "That's why we go to these competitions, to do that," McMillan told BBC Sport NI. "It's the ultimate goal, but it's about being level headed so we don't get ahead of ourselves. When it comes to that moment we need to be prepared for it, so it's just trying to prepare ourselves for that moment. "That would obviously be great and it's what we swim for. Why we're competitive is for those things." Like Wiffen, McMillan also took some time away from the pool after the Paris Games. The 25-year-old heads to the World Championships set to fulfil a similar role for Team GB as he did at the Olympics. McMillan swam in the heats in the relay as GB set the fastest time, but sat out the final as Matt Richards and Duncan Scott returned to the team. However, his performance in the heats was enough to secure a gold medal along with his team-mates. McMillan says it is important to peak at the right time of year and his return to the pool has been geared towards performing at the Worlds. "It's only really two times you are at your best and it's where you need to peak," he added. "We are putting all this effort and training in for like a minute and 40-odd seconds of racing, twice a year. So it's quite a lot of sacrifice and training for one moment, you could say. "When you do get the result at the end of it, it shows that all the hard work and sacrifice paid off at the end of it."
BBC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Wiffen wants more world titles and unbeaten run
Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen says he hopes that defending his world titles will mark the start of an unbeaten run during the Los Angeles Olympic swimmer Wiffen enjoyed a memorable 2024, winning 800m freestyle gold for Team Ireland at the Paris Games after his World Championship double in will defend his 1500m and 800m freestyle world titles in Singapore, and will also look to challenge in the 24-year-old says the prospect of remaining undefeated until the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 has given him a new focus."For me, it is about trying to win again and that motivation to stay undefeated going into LA," Wiffen took some time out of the pool after his Olympic success and returned to competition at the Irish Championships in April, where he set the fastest time of the year in the 800m will first race at the Worlds in Singapore in the 400m freestyle heats on Sunday (03:20 BST). Should he advance, the 400m final is at 19:00 BST. He will also compete in the 800m and 1500m heats on Tuesday and Saturday. Wiffen said it has "been amazing" being the reigning Olympic and World champion, but added his focus shifted to future goals pretty quickly after the Games in Paris."I looked back at the races in Paris, and looked at what has changed this year and what we are doing differently."Moving on from that, you look and what is next and that was pretty easy for me."Ellie McCartney and Ellen Walsh are also in action on Sunday in the 200m individual medley, while Shane Ryan goes in the 50m butterfly and Eoin Corby swims in the 50m bronze medallist Mona McSharry and Larne's Danielle Hill will be in action later in the championships. 'Gold is what we swim for' Wiffen is not the only Olympic champion from Northern Ireland competing in Singapore, with Jack McMillan competing for Great Britain in the 4x200m helped Team GB win gold in Paris by swimming in the heats of the relay and he is now targeting a world medal to add to his collection."That's why we go to these competitions, to do that," McMillan told BBC Sport NI."It's the ultimate goal, but it's about being level headed so we don't get ahead of ourselves. When it comes to that moment we need to be prepared for it, so it's just trying to prepare ourselves for that moment."That would obviously be great and it's what we swim for. Why we're competitive is for those things."Like Wiffen, McMillan also took some time away from the pool after the Paris Games. The 25-year-old heads to the World Championships set to fulfil a similar role for Team GB as he did at the Olympics. McMillan swam in the heats in the relay as GB set the fastest time, but sat out the final as Matt Richards and Duncan Scott returned to the team. However, his performance in the heats was enough to secure a gold medal along with his says it is important to peak at the right time of year and his return to the pool has been geared towards performing at the Worlds."It's only really two times you are at your best and it's where you need to peak," he added. "We are putting all this effort and training in for like a minute and 40-odd seconds of racing, twice a year. So it's quite a lot of sacrifice and training for one moment, you could say. "When you do get the result at the end of it, it shows that all the hard work and sacrifice paid off at the end of it."
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Olympic champion McClenaghan undergoes shoulder surgery
Olympic pommel horse champion Rhys McClenaghan has undergone surgery on a shoulder injury. McClenaghan has not competed since winning Olympic gold in Paris last summer and said he had been "struggling with this injury for a while now". Although it is yet to be officially confirmed, the surgery will likely rule McClenaghan out of all competitions for the rest of the year, including the World Championships in Indonesia in Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the World Championships are two events for the 25-year-old from Northern Ireland to target in 2026. "I'm delighted that everything went to plan with the operation and I can make my way back to maintaining my spot as the best in the world at what I do," McClenaghan posted on social media."This is the reality of sport, and I love all of the challenges it throws my way. Champion Mindset."McClenaghan was one of fourth athletes from Northern Ireland to win a gold medal in Paris in a historic games after rower Hannah Scott and swimmers Daniel Wiffen and Jack McMillan all had success at the winning gold in France, McClenaghan completed gymnastics' Grand Slam by becoming Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth his Olympic triumph, McClenaghan competed on and won Dancing With the Stars, which is the Irish version of Strictly Come Dancing. He had been due to compete in the European Championships in May but withdrew through injury, and his participation at the Worlds in October is now in doubt.
Straits Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
More global talents expected to emerge at World Aquatics Championships in Singapore
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A general view as staff memebers prepare the venue for the artistic swimming and swimming events of the World Aquatics Championships Singapore 2025. SINGAPORE – While swimming superstars are expected to break records and powerhouses look to dominate across the six disciplines at the July 11-Aug 3 World Aquatics Championships (WCH) in Singapore, there remains scope for surprises with previously unheralded names bidding to punch above their weight. In the 2024 edition in Doha, Qatar, there were historic moments for Ireland's men's 800m and 1,500m freestyle champion Daniel Wiffen, Israel's women's 400m individual medley silver medallist Anastasia Gorbenko and Bosnia and Herzegovina's women's 200m butterfly bronze medallist Lana Pudar, who won their country's first WCH medals. In the previous year, artistic swimmer Eduard Kim and swimmers Siobhan Haughey and Diogo Ribeiro achieved the same feat for Kazakhstan, Hong Kong and Portugal respectively with a podium finish in Fukuoka, Japan, before winning gold at Doha 2024, where athletes from over 30 other countries and territories won medals. World Aquatics executive director Brent Nowicki believes there will be more breakthroughs from the 2,500 athletes from 206 territories, who will be competing across an unprecedented 77 events in Singapore over the next three weeks. There will also be a record prize money pool of more than US$6 million (S$7.7 million), with an additional US$30,000 world record bonus in swimming. 'You are seeing the emergence of new teams, new faces and recognition of growth across all of our disciplines, and I think we will continue to see that here in Singapore,' Nowicki said at the WCH Singapore 2025 opening press conference at Parkroyal on Beach Road on July 10. Competing in home waters in a year when Singapore is celebrating its 60th birthday, local artistic swimmer Debbie Soh felt the hosting of the biggest aquatic sports event is a sign of how far the nation has come. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business S'pore to launch new grant for companies, expand support for workers amid US tariff uncertainties Singapore PAP appoints new heads of backbench parliamentary committees Singapore Singaporean fugitive charged over alleged drug trafficking, faces death penalty if convicted Singapore KTPH trials 'smart diapers' for adult patients to prevent skin conditions, relieve burden on nurses World 'Do some homework': 6 key exchanges between US Senator Duckworth and S'pore envoy nominee Sinha Sport No pain, no gain for Singapore's water polo teams at the world championships Singapore New regional centre for sustainable aviation in Asia-Pacific launched in Singapore Multimedia 60 objects to mark SG60: Which is your favourite? The 27-year-old added: 'I hope I'll be able to showcase the beauty of the sport and inspire the next generation of local artistic swimmers.' In 2023, it was announced that Singapore would become the first South-east Asian nation to host the WCH in 2025, replacing Kazan, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Since then, the local organising committee has wasted no time to put things in place. This included building the 4,800-seater WCH Arena at a car park next the Leisure Park Kallang mall for the swimming (July 27-Aug 3) and artistic swimming (July 18-25) competitions, as well as a 37m high diving (July 24-27) platform and a pontoon for open water swimming (July 15-20) at Sentosa. Meanwhile, the OCBC Aquatic Centre has also been spruced up for the water polo (July 11-24) and diving (July 26- Aug 3) events. Thanking organisers and stakeholders for helping the sport tide through the Covid-19 pandemic and political conflicts around the world, World Aquatics president Husain Al-Musallam said: 'It is not easy to organise the World Aquatics Championships. World Aquatics executive director Brent Nowicki (left) feels more fresh global talents will emerge from the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, while World Aquatics president Husain Al-Musallam thanked the stakeholders for their work in hosting the event at the opening press conference on July 10. PHOTO: EPA 'We have six different disciplines and the highest number of events and athletes than any other sport. (The athletes, coaches and national federations) worked really hard in a very difficult time... to reach their best at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the world championships in Budapest 2022, Fukuoka 2023, Doha 2024 and the Paris Olympics. 'They've made new records and higher standards across the six disciplines. This is a chance for our sport to leave a positive impact on society and after Singapore 2025, I hope that swimming will reach more communities in South-east Asia.' The high diving venue for the World Aquatics Championships in Sentosa on July 7. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG Including the July 26-Aug 22 World Aquatics Masters Championships, local organisers estimate that 40,000 international visitors will attend the events and contribute $60 million in tourism receipts. While the high diving structure will be dismantled after the event, WCH 2025 local organising committee co-chair Alan Goh indicated that the authorities are mulling over whether to keep the WCH Arena for national athletes' preparation ahead of the 2029 SEA Games in Singapore and also for public use. After training at the WCH Arena pools and watched the South-east Asian Age Group Aquatics Championships in June, Singapore swimmer Gan Ching Hwee liked how the water temperature could be regulated and how the cheers reverberated around the facility, making for a 'very motivating' vibe. The pool of the newly-constructed WCH Arena, one of the competition venues for the World Aquatics Championships Singapore 2025, pictured on June 16. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG Goh said: 'As we progressed the project along, we also started to think about whether it made sense to try to explore ways of keeping the pool beyond the duration of the championships. And that is looking positive. 'Having built a nice facility which is hosting world-class aquatics competition events, we do look to keep it for a little longer and then have Singaporeans benefit from it.' Meanwhile, the stage is set for the stars to perform, with the best water polo players slugging it out from July 11. Marko Bijac, captain of defending men's champions Croatia, said: 'We are aware that it will be difficult to reach the quarter-finals and then the semi-finals and win medals. But game after game, we will do the best we can, and we are happy that during this preparation period we have been able to avoid injuries, and we are ready.' Eleftheria Plevritou, who skippered Greece to a fairy-tale Women's Water Polo World Cup victory in April, added: 'That gives us stress because teams will now look more at us, but also more strength and confidence, as we want to prove that our team belong among the top teams by winning a medal here.' Tickets from $10 to $140 are available via Sistic, with some events already sold out. These include the final day of the women's 20m (July 26) and men's 27m (July 27) high diving event, the diving mixed 3m and 10m team finals (July 26), men's 3m springboard finals (Aug 1), women's 3m springboard semi-finals and finals (Aug 2), and the July 30, 31, Aug 3 swimming finals.
