PUNCHED in the face, hit on the head three times, kicked in the stomach and finishing up with a pulled groin – what a way for Daniel Wiffen to round off an unforgettable few weeks in Paris.
Somehow it feels like months since that gold medal-winning performance in the 800m freestyle, with last Sunday’s 1500m final back at La Defense Arena, and the bronze that came with it, also drifting from view as water flows fast beneath the bridge in Paris.
The open water marathon swim was always going to be a shot to nothing for Wiffen; an opportunity he didn’t want to pass up in one of the world’s most iconic waterways, irrespective of the heavy focus on what lies beneath.
He talked earlier in the week of aiming for a podium, but reality hit home hard by lap three of six in the Seine, the leaders too far gone as Wiffen drifted down the order to finish 18th of the 29 who started out at Pont Alexandre III bridge.
Hungarian Kristof Rasovszky - known as ‘The Balaton Shark’ - took gold in 1:50:52.7, Oliver Klemet silver and David Betlehem bronze, with Wiffen clocking 1:57:20.1.
“It’s the worst and best thing I’ve ever done in my life,” said the 23-year-old.
“The reason why it was the worst is because it was the most painful thing I’ve ever done but, in terms of best, it’s because I’m happy to say I’m an Olympic open-water swimmer, dual-sport athlete - and a contact-sport athlete as well!
“The start was pretty bad when I got punched in the face, I got hit in the head three times, somebody kicked me in the stomach, I think I pulled my groin halfway through and, in terms of the last lap, I was just absolutely dead. That was the worst thing.”
Despite being on the receiving end of a few blows, though, retribution wasn’t on Wiffen’s radar.
“No, I’m not a very violent person so I wouldn’t be doing that…”
But, for all his smiles and boyish enthusiasm, that one was tough.
Body still tired from the exertions of the previous few weeks, Wiffen could have been forgiven for waving the white flag when medal contention became a distant dream. Yet he wanted to see it out to say that he had – but do it again?
No thanks, unless his twin twists his arm.
“I’ll never do that again… well, never say never, if Nathan wants to try one I’ll do it with him, but I will advise him never to do one.
“I knew I was never in it from the start because you can see. I could see all the splash about 50 metres ahead of me. I tried to catch it on lap three, I was leading the chasing group and then nobody else decided that they wanted to push with me, it was just me.
“I was trying to do a max 800m, replicate the 800m final from the other day, but nobody else wanted to push with me so then it was over basically.
“I was just hoping not to come last, to be honest, by the end and I’m happy I didn’t.”
And, no matter how hard his body screamed in pain, not finishing wasn’t an option.
“I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty easy to finish, you just have to, like, go slow.
“I got to halfway and I was thinking about getting out when I was really hurting but I saw that I wasn’t last and I thought ‘do you know what? I can just hold the position and finish the race’, and I actually finished higher than I did in the 1500m in Tokyo so it’s only up from here.”
Clutching a bottle of Coke as he made his way through the mixed zone, the remaining days of Paris 20204 will be spent “partying”.
Then there’s the Team Ireland homecoming in Dublin on Monday, his own homecoming in Magheralin on Tuesday, before trips to Bali, Barcelona and Italy see any remaining steam blown off ahead of the World shortcourse championships later in the year.
“The only reason I wanted to do open water was because I wanted a photo next to the Eiffel Tower and the Seine - I actually hope I got the photo, I’ve no idea if we did.
“But, in terms of what I’m taking away, I’m happy to say I completed it.”
