Daniel Wiffen: Armagh swimmer reaches 800m freestyle final at World Championships
- Published
Loughborough-based Wiffen competed at last year's Olympics
Armagh swimmer Daniel Wiffen has qualified for the 800m final at the World Championships in Budapest after smashing his own Irish record.
Tokyo Olympian Wiffen's time of 7:46.32 cut 4.42 seconds off his existing national mark as he was fifth fastest of the qualifiers for Tuesday's final.
The Loughborough-based Magheralin man, 20, will also compete in the 1500m in Budapest on Friday.
Calum Bain will swim in the 50m freestyle on Thursday.
Northern Irishmen Wiffen and Bain are the only Irish swimmers competing in Hungary.
Wiffen finished fourth in the heat Olympic medallists Ukraine's Mykhyalo Romanchuk (7:44.75), Germany's Florian Wellbrock (7:44.80) and Italy's Gabriele Detti (7:46.08).
The Irishman had a nervous 10-minute wait to see if he had made the final but only Italy's Tokyo 2020 800m freestyle silver medallist Gregorio Paltrineiri was faster in 7:46.24 as Wiffen qualified just ahead of the USA's Olympic champion Bobby Finke, who also progressed to Tuesday's final which will take place at 17:02 BST.
