25-05-2025
Daniel Wiffen breaks 18-year-old event record in final leg of tour meet
Daniel Wiffen broke the Mare Nostrum Swim Tour event record in the 1500m freestyle as four days of racing across two countries concluded tonight in Canet, France.
Wiffen was the first Irish swimmer in the pool, competing in the 1500m freestyle final.
Wiffen, who has already claimed gold in the 800m freestyle and bronze in the 400m freestyle in Barcelona, opted out of last night's 400m freestyle final to focus on tonight's race.
The strategy paid off, Wiffen delivered a standout performance in front of a packed arena in Canet. The 23-year-old led the race at the halfway mark with a split of 7:25.37, increasing his stroke rate to dominate the remainder of the race.
The Olympic champion touched the wall in 14:54.71 to claim gold, with his closest competitor finishing in 15:01.66.
The time also saw Wiffen shatter the Mare Nostrum record, held by legendary Australian swimmer Grant Hackett (15:00.58) since 2007.
Ellie McCartney continued her excellent form from the Irish Open into the Mare Nostrum, capping off an impressive week with a bronze medal in the 200m Breaststroke Final. The National Centre (Limerick) swimmer clocked 2:24.55 to finish third, just 0.3 seconds behind silver.
Danielle Hill wrapped up a busy week at the Mare Nostrum with another final, this time in the 100m Backstroke. She posted a time of 1:01.50 to finish fifth. Hill leaves the meet with a collection of strong performances in preparation for Singapore.
Jack Cassin brought the curtain down on Ireland's participation at the 2025 Mare Nostrum, racing in the 200m Butterfly final. The National Centre (Limerick) swimmer dropped nearly three seconds from his heat swim to finish sixth with a time of 1:58.71.
Attention will now turn to June for the Sette Colli meet, which is set to feature several swimmers heading to Singapore including, Wiffen, Mona McSharry, and Ellen Walshe.
