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Irish swimmer Daniel Wiffen was “rushed to hospital” after being forced to pull out of the closing ceremony due to illness having been in line to carry his nation’s flag.
Wiffen secured gold in the 800 metres freestyle at La Defense Arena, making history as the first Irish man to win an Olympic gold in the pool.
He subsquently added a bronze medal in the 1,500m freestyle, before entering and completing the first open water event of his career, eventually finishing 18th after a gruelling 10km swim through the River Seine.
But Wiffen has now revealed that he became “very unwell” ahead of the closing ceremony having been chosen as one of Ireland’s flagbearers at the Stade de France.
“Thanks everyone who reached out, I’m incredibly disappointed to miss out on the opportunity to be flag bearer last night,” Wiffen said on social media.
“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.”
His illness may bring fresh scrutiny on the water quality of the Seine after a series of postponements and cancellations of training events in the river during the course of Paris 2024.
Gold medal-winning rower Fintan McCarthy stepped in alongside breaststroke bronze medallist Mona McSharry for Ireland at the closing ceremony.
McSharry and Wiffen became Ireland’s second and third Olympic swimming medallists as the nation secured seven podium finishes in Paris, a new high.
The 23-year-old freestyler Wiffen was born in Leeds but raised in Magheralin, though is now based at Loughborough University.
The two-time world champion said that the Olympics marked his “first and last” competitive open water swim shortly after exiting the Seine.
“In the pool it is easy when there are eight people in a final, and there are about 30 people in it here,” Wiffen explained.
“I was about two minutes down from the front of the pack. I was like ‘do I really want to finish?’, but I needed to finish it and I’m glad to say I’m an Olympic open-water swimmer.
“A lot of people would say it’s the worst race they’ve ever done, in terms of the currents. So for my first one to be the hardest and I came 18th, I’m very happy.
“I’m Olympic champion, Olympic bronze medallist and placed 18th in the open water. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
