Daniel Wiffen Named Swimmer Of The Year At Swim Ireland Awards After Golden 2024
Daniel Wiffen was named Swimmer of the Year at the 2024 Swim Ireland Awards after 12 memorable months in which he became Olympic and world champion.
Róisín NíRiain (para swimming) and Jake Passmore (diving) were also honoured while Ellen Keane was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the ceremony at the Dunboyne Castle Hotel, County Meath.
Wiffen became the first Irish swimmer to win a world swimming title with victory in the 800 free in Doha in February. He then became the fourth man to clinch the distance double by claiming the 1500 in a national record of 14:34.07.
He made further history in Paris as the first Irishman to win an Olympic title with a superbly-executed 800 free where he held off Bobby Finke’s customary late charge.
He followed that up days later with bronze in the longest race in the pool as Finke crushed the WR in 14:30.67.
European Junior 100 free bronze medallist Grace Davison was honoured with the Female Performance Pathway Athlete of the Year for swimming after a fantastic season where she qualified for two relays at the Olympic Games.
Dearbhaile Brady won the Female Performance Pathway Award for Para Swimming having won World Series and European Championships medals, and making her Paralympics debut finishing an impressive 5th in the 50m Butterfly.
National Centre Limerick’s John Shortt won the Male Performance Pathway Athlete of the Year Award after becoming Ireland’s first ever male European Junior champion, winning gold in the 200m backstroke and silver in the 100m in Vilnius, Lithuania in July.
NíRiain’s National Centre Limerick Coach John Szaranek and Head Coach of Templeogue Swim Team and coach to Olympic finalist Ellen Walshe, Brian Sweeney, were jointly awarded the Performance Coach of the Year Award while Ards’ Curtis Coulter won the Performance Pathway Coach of the Year Award for his work with Davison.
Passmore won the Diver of the Year Award for his performances at the World Championships in June and Olympic Games in July, he was also a finalist in the World Cup Super-Final in April.
Keane was honoured for an emphatic career that spanned five Paralympic Games and saw her win SB8 100m breaststroke gold at Rio 2016 followed by silver five years later in Tokyo.
Cork club Sunday’s Well SC received the Club of the Year Award after being selected from a shortlist of four which also included Aer Lingus Masters SC, Bluefin SC and Larne SC.
Four volunteers were honoured for their work within their clubs and regions, Fionnuala O’Neill from Leinster, Pat McTigue (Munster), Natasha Walshe (Connacht) and Catherine Hanratty (Ulster).
Introduced as a new award in 2024, four individuals received Outstanding Contribution to Aquatics Awards, Keith Lynch (Water Polo), Aqualine (Aquatics), Peter Conway (Swimming & Open Water), and Ian Wright (Swimming) were honoured for their contributions to their respective disciplines.
Swim Ireland President Alison Honan dedicated her President’s award to Ulster’s Linda Stoops, for her outstanding contribution to the Ulster region over many years.
Speaking at the event Swim Ireland CEO Sarah Keane said: “We are delighted to come together, to celebrate the success of our athletes and to honour those that have helped them to get to where they are. It was fantastic to see so many of our community present to celebrate the most incredible year for Irish Aquatics.”