Wiffen Twins Selected To Swim Ireland Team For European S/C Champs: World Championship Squad Also Announced
The Wiffen twins will compete together for the first time after Swim Ireland announced the squads for December’s European Short-Course Championships and the 2024 World Championships in Doha.
The twins – Daniel and Nathan – are among a 17-strong team for the continental short-course meet which runs from 5-10 December in Otopeni, Romania.
Daniel is the European 800 free record-holder in the short and long-course pools having gone 7:25.96 at the Irish Championships in December 2022 before finishing fourth at the World (50m) Championships in Fukuoka in a continental standard of 7:39.19.
It has been some year for Daniel whose 1500 of 14:34.91 at the Swim Open Stockholm in April elevated him to third European behind Gregorio Paltrinieri (14:32.80) and Florian Wellbrock (14:34.89) and seventh-fastest man all-time.
Coached by Andi Manley at Loughborough alongside brother Nathan – with whom he also shares a house – Daniel went on to finish fourth in both the 800 and 1500 in Fukuoka.
While Daniel has been commanding the spotlight on the international stage, Nathan has been making huge strides in national waters……..in the same events as his brother.
Nathan is the 2023 Irish Open champion in the 800m and 1500m and this year became the Irish National Youth and Senior champion (18 and Over) in the 400, 800, and 1500.
While Mona McSharry – fifth in the 100m breaststroke in Fukuoka – will not be competing in Otopeni, 2023 world semi-finalist Ellen Walshe, Tokyo Olympian Danielle Hill and Shane Ryan, with 50 back bronze at the short-course worlds and Europeans will all make the trip to Romania.
They’ll be joined by John Shortt, Ellie McCartney and Grace Davison who competed at the European Junior and Commonwealth Youth Games.
Swim Ireland National Performance Director Jon Rudd said:
“The European Short-Course Championships is first up for us and will give athletes an opportunity to tune up in international waters before many of them head to Doha.
“For the juniors on the team, opportunities to test themselves against older and more experienced athletes is something that must be grasped with both hands. I am sure that those on our team will do that very thing.”
| 2023 European Aquatics Championships (25m), Bucharest, Romania | |||
| Name | Home Programme | Home Coach | |
| Evan | Bailey | New Ross SC | Fran Ronan |
| Victoria | Catterson | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg |
| Grace | Davison | Ards SC | Curtis Coulter |
| Tom | Fannon | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg |
| Maria | Godden | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek |
| Danielle | Hill | Larne SC | Peter Hill |
| Ellie | McCartney | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek |
| Max | McCusker | Millfield School | Ryan Livingstone |
| Liam | O’Connor | Project 28/Terenure SC | Andrew Addison |
| Dylan | Registe | Lisburn City SC | Stan Sheppard |
| Erin | Riordan | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg |
| Shane | Ryan | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg |
| John | Shortt | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek |
| Oisin | Tebite | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg |
| Ellen | Walshe | Templeogue SC | Brian Sweeney |
| Daniel | Wiffen | Loughborough University | Andi Manley |
| Nathan | Wiffen | Loughborough University | Andi Manley |
McSharry will feature for Ireland at the World Championships in Doha as part of a 12-strong Swim Ireland team alongside Dan Wiffen.
Walshe will skip this event to focus on training through to May with both the men’s 4x100m medley relay and women’s 4x100m free set to compete.
Ireland currently sit with three relays in provisional Olympic relays berths, with an overall top-16 position from Fukuoka and Doha required to secure Paris invitations.
Of the Doha meet which runs from 11-18 February, weeks before trials season gets under way, Rudd said:
“It is an unusual time of the year to have such an event, and we may never see this again, particularly in Olympic year, but it must be embraced, and we have to take the opportunities that come with it.
“Daniel Wiffen, Mona McSharry and Ellen Walshe have all booked their places in Paris, and this is a chance for our swimmers, divers and our relays to add themselves to Team Ireland and ensure their spots come July”.
| 2024 World Aquatics Championships (50m), Doha, Qatar – Swimming | ||||||
| Name | Home Programme | Home Coach | ||||
| Victoria | Catterson | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg | |||
| Grace | Davison | Ards SC | Curtis Coulter | |||
| Tom | Fannon | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg | |||
| Conor | Ferguson | Loughborough University | Ian Hulme | |||
| Maria | Godden | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek | |||
| Darragh | Greene | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg | |||
| Max | McCusker | Millfield School | Ryan Livingstone | |||
| Mona | McSharry | University of Tennessee | Matt Kredich | |||
| Erin | Riordan | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg | |||
| Shane | Ryan | National Centre (Dublin) | Steve Beckerleg | |||
| John | Shortt | National Centre (Limerick) | John Szaranek | |||
| Daniel | Wiffen | Loughborough University | Andi Manley | |||