Wiffen becomes first Irish swimmer to break 15 Minute barrier in 1500m Freestyle

Wiffen, who had previously held the Irish mark at 15:02.78, decreased the time by over five seconds to finish fourth in his heat.

RECORD-BREAKER: Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen. ©INPHO/Andrea Staccioli

Irish swimmer Daniel Wiffen has this morning broken a time barrier never done by an Irish man or woman ever before.

Wiffen became the first Irish swimmer to break the 15-minute mark in the 1500m Freestyle at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Budapest.

Wiffen, who had previously held the Irish mark at 15:02.78, decreased that time by over five seconds to finish fourth in his heat.

The 20-year-old, who competed in the Tuesday 800m Freestyle Final, missed a second final by just .78 of a second, with Daniel Jervis of Great Britain taking the final spot in 14:56.89.  The Olympian first broke Andrew Meegan's previous Irish record in December 2020, clocking in at 15:19.04. He has since knocked over 20 seconds off that mark in just 18 months.

Speaking after the race the 20-year-old said: "I was very happy with my swim as I’m the first Irish swimmer to break 15mins in the 1500m, which is a huge barrier to break. 

"Even though I came ninth and just missed the final by less than a second, I know there is more to come, and I can’t wait to get back training and race again at the Commonwealth Games (July)."

Attention at the World Championships now turns to Diving with Ciara McGing and Clare Cryan competing for Ireland.

While Cryan competes in the 1M and 3M Springboard events on June 29 and July 1, respectively, McGing will make her World Championships debut in the 10m Platform event on Sunday.