By Lena Smirnova
Picture by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Daniel WIFFENSwimming
Daniel Wiffen did not have the most memorable role in the infamous “red wedding” scene when, 11 years ago as a pre-teen, he was cast as an extra in the HBO blockbuster fantasy series Game of Thrones.
But the 23-year-old Irishman's role in a Paris 2024 Olympic pool on Tuesday 30 July was, so to speak, Golden Globe worthy.
Or, in Wiffen’s case, gold medal worthy — the first ever for an Irish male swimmer.
As he touched the wall in a close men's 800m freestyle final and saw his name flash at the top with an Olympic record time of 7:38.19, Wiffen spread out his arms in a king-like gesture that showed everyone the extra has become the hero.
Instead of swords, there were strokes. Instead of rival families on a vendetta, a tough field of Olympic and world medallists. Instead of a throne, an Olympic podium.
“It's just so incredible to say that I've achieved the best result you can in swimming, that Olympic gold,” Wiffen said afterwards.
“My goal was to progress, progress, progress until I hit Olympic champion, and I'm happy to say I've had a very good upslope in terms of swimming. We went from 14th place in the last Olympics, making a world championships final, making a Commonwealth medal, fourth at a world championships, triple European champion, world record, double world champion and now Olympic champion. I won it all.”
On Tuesday 30 July, the reward was his biggest yet, and Wiffen stood atop the podium wiping tears from behind his glasses as his national anthem played out in the packed Paris La Defense Arena.
“It means everything. The whole country is behind me tonight,” Wiffen said.
"I don’t normally cry. I was hoping no one would get to see that. It’s a special moment. I dreamed of this every day of my life. I’ve never heard that national anthem at the Olympics before, and it’s crazy to say that it was me standing on that podium."
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The battle of champions
Wiffen looked ready to conquer from the moment he walked out to the pool.
“In my head, I was already the Olympic champion,” he said. “I wrote it on my hand.”
More than ink, a good deal of bravado was needed for this 800m freestyle final.
Wiffen, a 2024 world champion, was up against defending Olympic champion Bobby Finke of the United States, Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Gregorio Paltrinieri of Italy and Australia’s Elijah Winnington — Wiffen’s closest rival at the 2024 worlds — who had already stepped onto the podium at Paris 2024 on the opening night of the swimming competition.
The competition between the swimmers began even before any of them dove into the pool.
"Today, I was telling everybody [he was] the favourite to put pressure on him,” Paltrinieri said of Wiffen. “I’ve been around for a while, so I saw a lot of guys coming, but Dan is really good. He’s a great competitor and he pushes me every time."
With such a strong field of contenders, there was no shortage of drama in the race.
Wiffen started off in third place with Winnington leading the pack. At the halfway mark, the Australian fell back to third while Wiffen surged to first. He maintained that momentum for five laps before Paltrinieri took over.
The Italian kept the lead until the final 25 metres, when Finke delivered his signature last-minute surge, only to have Wiffen beat him to the wall and first place by less than a second. Paltrinieri finished 1.19 seconds behind Wiffen to take the bronze.
After more than seven minutes of intense racing, the writing about becoming an Olympic champion was smeared on Wiffen’s hand, but the swimmer got something even better: a physical Olympic gold medal.
“I just made it. Now it's come true,” Wiffen said.
"I knew I was going to do it. I can’t wait to go home. It’s great to inspire a nation.”
Holding court in Paris La Defense Arena
In 2013, Daniel Wiffen and his twin brother Nathan sat together on a step opposite Lord Walder Frey, who malevolently watched the bloody demise of much of the Stark family in the climactic scene of The Rains of Castamere, perhaps the most memorable episode of Game of Thrones.
Just over a decade later, the scene they were cast in was much happier.
Nathan was among the first people Wiffen ran over to embrace after becoming an Olympic champion. Without his brother in Paris, Wiffen later admitted, the gold medal might have slipped from his grasp.
"On the last turn, I put my head down. I was dying in the last 20 metres. The crowd carried me in," the swimmer said. “I don’t know if it’s because we’re twins or whatever, but honestly, I just heard him shout ‘Go Daniel!’ I don’t know how I heard it. Maybe it wasn’t him, but I’m pretty sure it was him. We have the same voice, so pretty sure, but to hear that, I was like, ‘That’s incredible.’ I was thinking in my head, this is just meant to be.”
His twin brother has been Wiffen’s constant companion for 23 years and key to his Olympic success. Also an elite-level swimmer, Nathan has pushed the two-time Olympian to improve his swimming times and trained with him up until he had to leave for Paris.
Soon after, Nathan packed his own bags and came to the French capital to watch his brother race to gold.
“We've done everything together," Wiffen said. "We're womb mates. And now we share an Olympic medal. It's even better."
Daniel Wiffen rushes over to embrace his twin brother Nathan after receiving the gold medal in men's 800m freestyle at Olympic Games Paris 2024 on 30 June.
The brothers run a Wiffin Twins vlog on YouTube, where they give insight on preparing for international competitions and even offer tips on breaking world records — Wiffen broke the 800m freestyle short course record in December 2023.
Their videos have received thousands of views, including from two Olympic champions Wiffen is very familiar with.
"I’ve seen his vlog before. Sometimes I use it to motivate me in practice," Finke said. "Seeing what he’s doing and how he’s approaching [swimming] and the records he wants to break, I’m really excited to see what he can do when I’m done with the sport.”
Paltrinieri is another curious viewer: "I watch the vlogs, too, sometimes."
The vlog, however popular, may not be the ultimate end point of Wiffen’s screen stardom. In an interview with Olympics.com two years ago, the Irish swimmer mused that he might make a return to a film set if given an interesting enough offer, such as a role in House of the Dragon, the prequel series to Game of Thrones.
After Tuesday’s performance at Paris 2024, the Hollywood producers had better get in line.
“I’m just here to swim at the moment," Wiffen said. "Game of Thrones can wait.”
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