An Olympian has expressed that one of the competitions he participated in was ‘one of the worst things I’ve ever done’.
Daniel Wiffen, an Olympic medal-winning swimmer, recently claimed gold in the 800m freestyle.
Subsequently, he secured bronze in the 1500m freestyle final. In an attempt to earn another medal for Ireland, he competed in today’s 10km open water swim (August 9).
This event marked his debut in open water swimming, and Wiffen is decidedly uninterested in repeating the experience.
The 23-year-old even described it as ‘one of the worst things I’ve ever done’.
In an interview with RTE Sport after the swim in Paris’ River Seine, the gold medallist stated: “I’m happy I did it. Now I can say that I can range from 10k, and I actually placed higher than I did in Tokyo in the pools so I’m pretty proud of myself.
“But, you know, when you get to halfway, all I was thinking was ‘I am already an Olympic champion and I’m swimming this and I’m coming 18th…’
“I was like, ‘Oh I’ll just finish it now, but then I’m never doing it again’.”
Wiffen also highlighted the harsh reality of open water swimming compared to indoor events.
“All the coaches are laughing because I was swimming out by myself because I wasn’t arsed going behind somebody,” he said, noting that he ‘can’t be arsed to get kicked in the face’.
“I got a couple of elbows in the eye and I got punched in the face at one point,” Wiffen further revealed.
“This sport isn’t for me I don’t think. I definitely want my own lane next time.”
Although he didn’t secure a medal, Wiffen mentioned he was just relieved not to finish last.
He emphatically stated that he is now retiring from open water swimming.
Controversy has surrounded open water swimming events in the 2024 Games due to the reported pollution levels in the River Seine.
Prior to some events, concerning levels of E.coli were discovered in the river, which is believed to have caused illness among some athletes, leading them to withdraw from further competitions.
Athletes have since resorted to drinking Coca-Cola before and after swimming in the Seine, as it is believed to help prevent gastro illnesses.
While this is yet to be scientifically confirmed, many athletes advocate for the fizzy drink as an effective way to replenish glycogen levels post-competition.