Olympic 800m champion and 1500m bronze medallist Daniel Wiffen has explained why he pulled out of carrying the Irish flag on Sunday’s Olympic Closing Ceremony in Paris.
Speaking to Cool FM during the Team Ireland homecoming celebration on Monday, the 23-year-old confirmed that he took ill over the last couple of days due to the River Seine.
“I’m OK, I was a bit ill for the past couple of days from the River Seine, but I’m starting to recover now and it’s gone through my system, so I’m looking forward to this [celebration].”
In a previous statement on X (formerly Twitter), the Magheralin man said he had been hospitalised ahead of the ceremony:
“Thanks everyone who reached out, I’m incredibly disappointed to miss out on the opportunity to be flag bearer last night.
“Yesterday, I rushed to hospital as I was very unwell with a bug that I am being treated for, and am feeling better now. I hope everyone enjoys the evening and I hope to be well enough to seeing everyone when we get home,” he said.
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Wiffen won gold in the Men’s 800m Freestyle, swimming an Olympic record time of 7:38:19. He then took bronze in his preferred event, the Men’s 1500m Freestyle.
On Friday, he concluded his Olympic trip by swimming to 18th in the Men’s 10km Marathon swim, which took place in the River Seine.
Double Olympic gold medallist Fintan McCarthy together with swimming bronze medallist Mona McSharry acted as Ireland’s flagbearers in the Stade de France at last night’s Closing Ceremony.
Daniel Wiffen: A day in the life of an elite swimmer