Unfortunate news from Paris for our Irish followers; brace yourselves for the disappointment. To our deep regret, there will be no Olympic medals secured by Ireland on this gloomy Monday – a sudden standstill following a previously successful streak of clinching at least one medal each day for the past week. This glorious run included a high point with Daniel Wiffen’s triumphant bronze victory in swimming just last evening, but there won’t be any such accomplishments today.
Regardless, this will not incite any inquisition directed at our national team. The bronze medal for Wiffen in the 1,500m freestyle has already ensured this edition of the Olympics to be Ireland’s most triumphant yet. As Kellie Harrington waits to ascertain whether she will be adorned with gold or silver tomorrow (Tuesday), it becomes evident that this will be Ireland’s seventh medal, surpassing our previous record of six during London 2012 Olympics.
Wiffen, the 23-year-old hailing from Down/Armagh (as per your preference), has achieved laurels by adding this bronze to his previous gold victory in 800m freestyle last Tuesday, hence becoming the first Irish ever to secure more than a single medal in one edition of the Olympics. This will solidify his legacy, regardless of his future ventures in the sport.
During a night brimming with enthusiasm at La Défense Arena, Wiffen proved to be second only to Bobby Finke from the USA, who set a new world record. While satisfaction about his performance remains, the heightened anticipations for this week had him acknowledging a tinge of regret for not securing a higher spot.
“Honestly, I’m quite content with how my week turned out,” admitted Wiffen. “I had hoped it would be a flip – achieving gold in my recent swim and the bronze being my initial victory. We had arrived here with lofty goals for this week, and even though I managed to clinch at least one gold, I remain quite proud of myself.”
Without glossing over the truth, Nathan’s twin is likely let down. Conversation had been minimal since they both aspired for gold yet had to settle for bronze. However, reflection on the whole event is due. Plans are to converse after and delve into his sentiments, he probably shares the same regret, feeling he missed a golden chance. Admittedly, other dialogues escape him. They obtained gold, bronze, and two medals in total. The experience was indeed extraordinary.
Towards the end, his competency noticeably plummeted due to exhaustion, leaving him completely drained. Regardless, he is content. As previously mentioned, the bronze medal is his.
So, approaching Paris 2024, the current Irish tally is: three each of gold and bronze medals with an undecided silver or gold still in the game. Four separate sports are represented. At the close of the Sunday night medal tally, they were impressively 14th.
This has been the most successful week in Irish Olympic annals.