BEN DEFIANT DESPITE CRUSHING LOSS
Daniel making waves at games as he seals his second gold with victory in the 1500m final
IRELAND’S Daniel Wiffen is continuing to make history after winning his second gold medal of the World Aquatics Championship at Doha.
The 22-year-old from Co Down clocked a new National Record of 14.34.07 in the 1500m final just days after winnning Ireland’s first ever World gold medal with his 800m freestyle victory.
Wiffen dominated the majority of yesterday’s race, finishing an astonishing 10 seconds ahead of runner-up Florian Wellbrock of Germany. No Irish swimmer had ever won gold at a World Championship before this week.
The athlete finished fourth in last year’s World Aquatics Championship 800m Freestyle final but grabbed the gold in the same event this year in Doha
Daniel Wiffen celebrates his 1500m win in Doha yesterday and hopes to bag gold at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this summer.
“That race was definitely better for me,” Wiffen said “I PB’D, I’m so happy because after hitting that time in April, you know, it could have been a fluke. I went 14.35 in the U23’s.
“Obviously coming here, the progression from the 400m to the 800m to the 1500m, I’m just so happy to come away with a PB and two World titles.”
In the European short course championships in December, Wiffen bagged three golds and came seventh in this week’s 400m Freestyle final.
The Consulate General of Ireland in New York said: “Congratulations to Daniel Wiffen for making history as the first Irish gold medal winner at the World Aquatics Championships!
“Breaking records and making waves – a testament to your hard work and
DEFIANT Ben Stokes (left) says England still have a “great chance” to win the Test series against India – despite their crushing 434-run defeat in Rajkot.
England collapsed to their heaviest Test defeat in terms of runs since the Second World War to go 2-1 down in the five-match series.
Another double century from Yashasvi Jaiswal set England a world-record target of 557 to win the third Test.
Jaiswal, who made 209 in dedication.”
Ireland’s 4x100m men’s medley relay team made their own piece of swimming history as they reached the final while the women’s relay team’s place at the 2024 Olympic Games was confirmed.
Conor Ferguson [backstroke], Darragh Green [breaststroke],
Max Mccusker [butterfly] and Shane Ryan
[ freestyle] confirmed their spot in the final after an outstanding swim of
3:34.94 to place fourth in their heat and eighth overall.
They finished seventh in the final, after Poland
Visakhapatnam last time out, equalled the record for the most sixes in an innings with a dozen in his unbeaten 214 to underpin India’s 430 for four declared.
England never threatened to achieve the unthinkable as India’s attack – latterly bolstered by the return of Ravichandran Ashwin following his departure due to a family medical emergency – tore through the tourists’ beleaguered line-up.
“It doesn’t always work out how you want, but we still have a great chance to win the trophy 3-2,” Stokes told TNT Sports. were disqualified, in a slightly slower 3:35.28. The USA took gold in 3:29.80, with Netherlands (3:31.23) pipping Italy (3:31.59) to silver.
It was the first time an Ireland men’s team had made a relay final in a world long course championships.
Mona Mcsharry finished eighth in the 50m breaststroke final, her third of the championships.
The Sligo swimmer had come into the race with the joint sixth-fastest qualifying time but a long week seemed to take its toll as she tired in the closing metres to finish in a time of 30.96 seconds, 0.33 slower than her semi-final performance yesterday.
“We leave this game behind us, just as we did with the first two matches, and know we have to win the next two games.”
Ravindra Jadeja led the way with five for 41 as Stokes’ side were skittled in 39.4 overs.
“I am very disappointed to be on the wrong side of a result, but the one thing we are very good at as a team is leaving it behind us and focusing on what is ahead,” Stokes said.
“Games can be won and lost in the head, so we will be leaving all the disappointment and emotion from this week and moving on to the next one.
“Ben Duckett (153) played an unbelievable first innings and that was the tone we wanted to set throughout, and it was about identifying that opportunity to push the scoreboard on and get as close as we could do to
India’s total.
“I wanted us to be bowling yesterday, even though it came earlier than we expected, because of how we felt the wicket was going.
“But sometimes game plans don’t work out and that is sport sometimes.”