Meet Irish swimming star who went from witnessing death of Rob Stark and family to winning Paris Olympics medal
Daniel Wiffen came a long way from Game of Thrones and wrote his name on the history books by winning gold for Ireland at the Paris Olympics.
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Daniel Wiffen at the Paris Olympics (image via Instagram)
Irish swimming star Daniel Wiffen brought his country’s first men’s Olympic swimming gold medal in 28 years at the Paris Olympics. He further finished after winning a bronze in the 1500m freestyle final. However, people recognize him from somewhere else, too. Before sports, the Olympic athlete tried his hand at acting.
Wiffen previously appeared on the screen in one of the show-turning moments of the series Game of Thrones. Daniel Wiffen, along with his twin brother Nathan and sister Elizabeth, were background actors in the tragic “Red Wedding” scene. It was only one of the best episodes of the series. Wiffen revealed that despite not knowing much about the series, he loved his involvement with the infamous episode.
From an extra to the center, Daniel Wiffen came a long way. Wiffen’s feat at the Paris Olympics was historic for Ireland. The only swimming medals for the country came from Michelle Smith in 1996. Listening to the national anthem being played in the stadium with him on the podium was a special moment in Wiffen’s life.
Next up, Wiffen will race in the Open Water 10km marathon swim in the River Seine on Friday. He disclosed that this would be his first open-water race, so he looks forward to it. The future looks bright for the 23-year-old Irish swimmer. However, the Seine River, where the 10km marathon happens, appears to be in trouble.
Daniel Wiffen will likely swim in the Seine River despite water quality issues
The Open Water race in which Wiffen will participate was set to take place at the said river on Thursday and Friday at the Paris Olympics. However, there were a couple of complaints regarding the quality of water at the Seine River. The organizers announced that if the Seine River became too polluted, they would move the marathon swimming to another location in Vaires-sur-Marne on the River Marne east of Paris.
According to the World Aquatics and the organizing committee, one out of four readings for enterococci bacteria in the river was above the upper authorized limit. Therefore, their representatives and other stakeholders involved in carrying out the tests held a meeting on Wednesday regarding the issue.
The meeting concluded that the familiarization sessions would continue as planned as the water quality met the standards. After being repeatedly canceled, the said session is planned from 7.30-9.30 a.m. Daniel Wiffen will also participate in the event. As such, only time will tell if the Irish swimmer wins another medal at the Paris Olympics.
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