Wiffen's Commonwealth 400m Final
Olympic Champion Daniel Wiffen narrowly misses 400m medal, finishes fifth at Commonwealth Games
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Key Points
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In the heats, Daniel Wiffen qualified for the 400m final in 3:47.01, the third-fastest time overall behind Sam Short and Benjamin Goedemans.
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In the final, James Guy finished fourth in 3:46.70, with Wiffen timing 3:47.22 for fifth, illustrating how close the podium battle was.
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Wiffen’s teammate Jack McMillan is described as an Olympic relay gold medallist, underscoring the high level of Ireland/Northern Ireland’s swimming squad.
4
In the Andrew Cairns case tied to the Craigyhill bonfire, Andrew Cairns—a UVF member—was beaten and shot at an Eleventh Night bonfire in 2000; David Murray was charged with murder but the charge was dropped, later pleading guilty to assault with a suspended sentence, while police faced questions over posing with a figure described as the master bonfire builder named a UDA commander.
Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen missed out on a podium finish at the Commonwealth Games on Thursday, placing fifth in the men's 400m freestyle final with a time of 3:47.22, according to Yahoo Sports. Australia's Sam Short won gold in 3:45.46, leading a clean Australian sweep of the medals.
Wiffen had qualified third in the heats with a time of 3:47.01, but faded in the final 50 metres of the race. His teammate Jack McMillan, an Olympic relay gold medallist, finished seventh, Irish News reported.
Australia Sweeps Podium as Wiffen Fades Late
Sam Short set the pace from the start and never looked threatened, touching the wall in 3:45.46 to claim gold. Benjamin Goedemans took silver and Elijah Winnington claimed bronze, giving Australia all three podium spots, according to Yahoo Sports.
England's James Guy came closest to breaking the Australian grip, finishing fourth in 3:46.70. That was just 1.24 seconds behind Short — and only 0.52 seconds ahead of Wiffen. The margins were razor-thin, but Wiffen could not hold on in the closing stretch, Irish News noted.
400m Not Wiffen's Best Distance — He'll Target Longer Races
Wiffen, 25, won Olympic gold in the 800m freestyle and bronze in the 1500m at the Paris Games. The 400m is a shorter, faster event that does not suit his strengths as well, according to AOL Sports.
He is expected to shift his focus at the Commonwealth Games to the 800m and 1500m freestyle events, where he is considered a strong medal contender. Thursday's result was disappointing but does not change his status as one of the world's top distance swimmers.
A Wavy Pool and a High-Class Field Made Medals Hard to Grab
The race took place at Tollcross International Swimming Centre in Glasgow. Wiffen himself noted the tough conditions, saying: "That is the waviest pool we've ever been in," according to Irish News. Disrupted water can break a swimmer's rhythm and cost valuable time.
Despite the conditions, the field was of Olympic quality. Short, Goedemans, and Winnington are all elite-level competitors. Wiffen was racing outside his best distances against a group at the very top of world swimming. A fifth-place finish at that level is far from a disgrace.
Wiffen's Commonwealth Games Far From Over
The 400m was just Wiffen's opening event. His real targets are the 800m and 1500m freestyle, the distances where he has already proved himself the best in the world. He won Olympic gold in the 800m and came back with bronze in the 1500m in Paris last summer, AOL Sports reported.
Wiffen and McMillan represent a strong Irish and Northern Irish swimming squad at these Games. McMillan's Olympic relay gold medal underlines how far the team has come. Wiffen will be looking to bounce back quickly and contend for gold when the longer races begin.
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