With Daniel Wiffen, Ireland has its own bespectacled Olympic hero

TThe morning that Irish swimming star Daniel Wiffen won his country’s first men’s Olympic swimming gold medal began in typical fashion. He woke up, had breakfast and went swimming. But, hours before her 800m freestyle final at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, the butterflies in her stomach – or something like it – started to appear.

“The only difference from a normal day is that I was shitting myself, honestly,” Wiffen said after his thrilling victory at La Défense Arena in Nanterre, France, on Tuesday night. “I’ve never been so nervous.”

Wiffen fought off nerves to maintain victory, setting a new Olympic record in the event with a time of 7 minutes and 38.19 seconds. (Finally, there was some kind of registration in the pool, whose shallow depth has been the subject of consternation for creating waves that may be delaying swimmers). American Bobby Finke, the reigning Olympic champion made his typical attack in the last 50 m – Finke is known for his finishing speed – but Wiffen touched the wall first, barely: Finke finished with a time of 7 minutes and 38.75 seconds, just 0.56 seconds behind the winner.

For Wiffen, the stars were aligned for victory. His birthday, he noted after the race, is July 14 – the same as Bastille Day. He noticed there was a thunderstorm outside the arena at 9pm, just minutes before the race started. “We’re renaming that storm ‘Storm Daniel,’” Wiffen told his coach.

Ireland is reveling in its Parisian water moment. Coming to the men’s 800 meter freestyle, the country has only three gold medals in swimming in its history; all were won by Michelle Smith at the 1996 Games. Irish officials and fans were already buzzing around the city thanks to the bronze won on Monday by Mona McSharry, in the women’s 100 m breaststroke.

With Wiffen’s victory, Paris should expect even more Irish energy in the coming nights. A good number of fans dressed in green descended on Paris. “It’s the closest we’ll get to a home Olympics outside of London,” says Trish Mayon, Ireland’s press officer for swimming.

Team USA celebrated less than usual at these Games. After winning gold in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay on Saturday, and Torri Huske’s victory in the 100m butterfly on Sunday, the Americans have been short of equipment for first place the last two nights. Team USA won three silvers on Tuesday, with world record holder Regan Smith in the 100m backstroke finishing second behind her rival Kaylee McKeown of Australia, who also set an Olympic record with her time. 57.33 seconds. “The performance of others is completely out of my control,” Smith said after the race. “Kaylee is one of them. She is an absolutely incredible pilot and knows what to do when it matters. But I’m really proud of myself.”

In the final race of the night, Team Great Britain defeated the United States in the 4x200m freestyle relay. In a post-race press conference, Finke attributed the relative drought to the growth of the sport around the world and the inevitable improvement in competition that resulted.

Plus, American swimming fans don’t need to get too excited: Katie Ledecky runs the 1,500m on Wednesday. She has the 19 fastest times in history in this event.

Plus, Wiffen is worth your applause. Like American night gymnastics sensation Stephen Nedoroscik, he is a nerdy-looking athlete who wears glasses. Isn’t that enough to love the guy?

Wiffen is known for exuding confidence, which is relatively rare for an Irish athlete, according to journalists present at the race. Leaving aside UFC heel Conor McGregor.

“For me, he is the most unique sportsman that has ever existed in Ireland, because of the way he expresses himself,” says Michael Foley, reporter for Sunday Times of Ireland. “He’s very confident, very bold, not very Irish.”

Before Tuesday night, Wiffen’s claim to fame may have been her role as an extra, along with her twin brother Nathan — also an elite swimmer — as an extra in the controversial “Red Wedding” episode of the hit HBO show. The Game of Thrones. (Many main characters were killed in this episode, which aired in 2013). Would he be ready for a Dragon House paper, he says.

In swimming circles, his YouTube channel – on which he gives a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to be an Olympic-level swimmer – even inspires his competitors. “Sometimes I use it to motivate myself in practice,” says Finke.

Wiffen, who was born in Britain but grew up in Northern Ireland in County Down, is hoping for a warm welcome when he returns home. “I’m sure it’s going to be huge,” Wiffen said when asked about the possible reaction to his win. “I remember the last Olympics, when the boys rowing pulled with their gold, it was crazy. I mean, we’ll see what happens.” Although he is scheduled to compete in the 1,500m freestyle, the heats of which begin on August 3 – “I’m sure there will be fireworks,” he promises – and the 10km open water marathon swim on August 9, he he said if he would allow himself to celebrate tonight.

“Half the Irish team will still be waiting for me when I get back [to the Olympic village],” says Wiffen. “The cafeteria has great chocolate muffins. That’s what I’m going to want.”