Dan Wiffen Named Swimmer Of The Year At 2023 Swim Ireland Awards
Dan Wiffen was named Swimmer of the Year at the 2023 Swim Ireland Awards following a year in which he confirmed his place among the distance swimming elite.
Wiffen – who is coached in Loughborough by Andi Manley – set a European 800 free record of 7:39.19 en-route to fourth at the World Championships in Fukuoka, slicing 0.08 from Gregorio Paltrinieri’s 2017 standard of 7:39.27.
The 22-year-old also holds the European 800 mark in the short-course pool after clocking 7:25.96 in December 2022.
Wiffen was also fourth in the 1500 in Fukuoka, locked out by one place as he sought to become the first Irish swimmer to make the world long-course podium.
Should he have replicated the 14:34.91 he posted at the Swim Open Stockholm, Wiffen would have claimed bronze in Japan.
Wiffen is the third-fastest European in history over 1500 behind only Gregorio Paltrinieri (14:32.80) and Florian Wellbrock (14:34.89).
He did though post Paris 2024 qualification times in both events and responded days later by winning gold and two silver medals at European Aquatics U23 Swimming Championships in Dublin.
Wiffen – who was unable to attend the Swim Ireland awards because he is altitude training in Flagstaff, Arizona – posted to social media, saying:
World Para Swimming champion Róisín NíRiain won the Para Swimmer of the Year Award for her medal winning performances at the World Championships, where she won gold and silver medals, as well as securing a quota sport for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. NíRiain also set two new world records across the year.
Clare Cryan won the Diver of the Year Award for her performances at the European Games in Poland in June and World Championships in July where she made the semi-final of the 3m springboard.
Ellie McCartney was named Female Performance Pathway Athlete of the Year after winning 200IM bronze at the European Junior Championships plus double gold and a bronze at the Commonwealth Youth Games.
Diver Jake Passmore took home the Male Performance Pathway Athlete of the Year Award after 1m springboard silver at the World Junior Championships,
National Centre Limerick coach John Szaranek and Head Coach of Templeogue Swim Team and coach to World Championships semi-finalist Ellen Walshe, Brian Sweeney, were jointly awarded the Performance Coach of the Year Award while National Centre Ulster’s Kevin Anderson won the Performance Pathway Coach of the Year Award.