The proud parents of Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen have spoken of the “wobble” they had halfway through the 800m metre race which saw their son claim gold – and their pride in him as he took home a historic medal for Ireland.
Daniel Wiffen became the first athlete from Northern Ireland to win an Olympic gold medal in 36 years as he triumphed in a thrilling 800m freestyle final in Paris.
Jonathan and Rachel Wiffen, who on one of the hottest days in Paris didn’t return to their hotel until 2am, spoke to BBC about the atmosphere at the race on Tuesday.
“We were very high up so we were way away from the pool,” Mrs Wiffen said. “I had a bit of a wobble at 400 metres thinking this isn’t going how I thought it was going to go. Then the last 50 (metres) it was just amazing.”
Mr Wiffen added: “Stroke after stroke we’re watching him. By the last 150 metres we were all on our feet.”
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Despite the pressure on their son, they said he doesn’t let it get to him. “He is very very calm,” said the mother of the Olympic champion.
“Daniel rings us all the time, we were having lunch yesterday in the local town and Daniel rang us and was really jealous of what we were eating. We’re very lucky that he does keep us involved.”
Ahead of another race for the swimmer, when he will attempt to win a historic double when he competes in the men’s 1500m heats on Saturday, with a potential final to come on Sunday, hopes are high for his parents.
Daniel’s father said: “That’s his favourite race and that’s the one he really wants to attack, it’ll be another tight race with the three guys at the top.”
Daniel Wiffen
His mother spoke of when they first knew Daniel was destined for big things in the world of swimming. “I realised when he was about 14 or 15 but it’s hard to say because Daniel didn’t start winning things until he went to Loughborough.
“He was winning the local galas and things like that – before that, he was as good as any of the swimmers in the club and the competition between him and [twin] Nathan was rife.”
The twins have a Youtube channel Wiffen Twins and Nathan was “signing autographs and just wanted to watch the race,” said Mrs Wiffen.
A debate has ensued over whether Daniel is from Co Down or Co Armagh but Mr Wiffen gave a definitive answer. “Our house is Co Armagh. The village is in Co Down, the postcode is Co Armagh, the boys went to school in Co Armagh so they consider themselves Armagh,” he said.