Wiffen claims 400m freestyle bronze, Shortt smashes Irish record to reach Euros final

Gold medallist Jack McMillan competed for Ireland at the Tokyo Olympic Games before switching allegiance to Great Britain in 2022.

Daniel Wiffen won three gold medals at the European Aquatics Short Course Championships in 2023. Pic: ©INPHO/Giorgio Scala

Daniel Wiffen claimed bronze for Ireland in the 400m freestyle at the European Aquatics Short Course Championships in Poland on Tuesday evening. 

The Olympic 800m freestyle champion finished behind gold medallist Jack McMillan of Great Britain and German Lukas Martens who claimed silver. The 24-year-old Wiffen touched the wall in 3:37.02, which was 0.02 quicker than the time he swam earlier on Tuesday to reach the final, and 0.69 behind McMillan. 

The Belfast-born McMillan competed for Ireland at the Tokyo Olympic Games before switching allegiance to Great Britain in 2022.

Wiffen started to make his move as they approached halfway, moving into second, and quickly taking the lead. However, as they turned for the final 100m, McMillan surged into the lead. In the final 25m, Wiffen was passed by Martens. 

The Magheralin swimmer was the defending champion from the 2023 championships, at which he also won gold in both the 800m and 1500m freestyle. Tuesday morning's swim was Wiffen's first race since he underwent surgery to have his appendix removed in September. 

In his 200m backstroke semi-final, John Shortt smashed the Irish record which he had set on Tuesday morning by 1.81 seconds. The Galway teenager won his semi-final in 1.48.84, which was also the fastest time of the two semis. Shortt will go in his final at 6:17pm on Wednesday.

Ellie McCartney reached the final of the 100m breaststroke with a 1:05.06 swim. McCartney finished fifth in her semi-final but her time was good enough to claim the eighth spot in the final. Her final will be held at 7:04pm on Wednesday.