Ireland's first swimming gold medallist falls ill after Seine race

Daniel Wiffen, Ireland's first-ever Olympic gold medallist in swimming, was hospitalised due to illness. Earlier, he had participated in a 6-mile competition on the River Seine.

Daniel Wiffen was supposed to be the flag bearer for Ireland during the closing ceremony of the Olympics in the French capital. Still, he ended up in hospital due to a mysterious illness. He shared information about his health via social media.

Thanks everyone who reached out, I’m incredibly disappointed to miss out on the opportunity to be flag bearer last night. Yesterday I rushed to hospital as I was very unwell with a bug that I am being treated for, and am feeling better now, - he wrote on Instagram.

Winning gold in the 800-yard freestyle and bronze in the 1,640-yard event was a great success for him. His debut in open water swimming over a distance of 6 miles on the Seine ended only in 18th place, which took a great toll on him.

After the race, Wiffen revealed that it was his first and last time in such an event, describing the difficulties he experienced as some of the worst in his career. Despite the setback, the athlete emphasised that his decision to leave open-water swimming was not due to the quality of the river water.

The water quality in the Seine had been discussed even before the Olympics. Since 2015, the French have invested over a billion pounds in a river-cleaning operation. Nevertheless, many competitors complained of feeling unwell after the events. According to their accounts, some experienced nausea.

One athlete even mentioned that while swimming, "he saw and felt things he'd rather forget".