Ireland’s Wiffen set for triple title defence at Lublin 2025 in first competitive outing since surgery

Two years after the 2023 European Aquatics Short Course Championships in Otopeni, where he won gold in the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle, setting a world record in the second event, Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen is preparing to defend his titles in Lublin.

After that startling performance in Romania Wiffen’s career hit even greater heights as he earned 800m and 1500m gold at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha before claiming 800m gold and 1500m bronze at the Paris Olympics.

This year has proved problematic for the 24-year-old Leeds-born athlete, however.

Wiffen underwent an operation on his appendix in August shortly after withdrawing from the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore after he had finished eighth in the 800m freestyle.

So Lublin 2025 will mark the Olympic champion’s competitive return to the water.

In Otopeni Wiffen took  2.96 off Grant Hackett’s 2008 world record as he recorded the mark that still stands – 7:20.46.

His ambitions for Lublin, however, have been sensibly tempered by his recent experience.

“Obviously my results from the last European Short Course Championships were amazing but this year has been a bit different,” he told European Aquatics.

“My goal is to try and get back on the top podium in any of the three.

“These Championships are very important to me as they start off the season for competitive racing – so I’m really looking forward to racing in Poland.”

Meanwhile two young Britons with aspirations of emulating Wiffen’s achievements – Jack Skerry and Filip Nowacki – are looking forward to making their debut in these Championships.

Twenty-year-old Skerry, who studies computer engineering at the University of Bath, finished like a train at this summer’s EA U23 Championships in Samorin to win the men’s 100m backstroke title by more than half a second in 53.45.

He and training partner Matt Ward, who took bronze, then spontaneously mimicked the turning wheels of a train in celebration.

Now that he has switched the points to senior competition, Kerry is proceeding under full steam…

“The win in the 100m backstroke definitely filled me with confidence off the back of the U23 Championships,” he told European Aquatics.

“It confirmed to me that the work from my team and myself in the build-up was going towards the right things.

“Exposure and experience are two big things I look to get out of racing in Lublin.

“Racing with the best in Europe regardless of age is something I haven’t experienced much so it’s great to have this opportunity this early on in an Olympic cycle.

“I have aspirations to compete at the highest level on the European, world and Olympic stage. So to be able to develop skills and knowledge that I will need for these events in the future is very important.

“I believe Lublin will be a great Championships for me to lay the foundations for these ambitions.”

Nowacki, 18, has had a stellar year in competition. He came away from the European Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships that followed the U23 event in Samorin with four golds – breaking Adam Peaty’s national age-group record in the 100m breaststroke and setting a European junior record of 2:08.32 in the 200m breaststroke.

The Millfield schoolboy from Jersey followed that by taking the world junior 100m and 200m breastroke titles in Otopeni, where he also claimed a silver and bronze in relay racing.

His aim now is clear. “I want to test myself against senior athletes,” he told European Aquatics. “It’s a big step up from junior to senior level, and Lublin will be a great way to see where I am and how I can keep progressing.

“These Championships will be very important. There’s a lot for me to learn about myself, becoming more independent, more resilient and able to perform in a more challenging senior environment.”

Asked if he felt Lublin would be a case of having nothing to lose and everything to gain, he responded: “Absolutely, I’m young, I’m still very much developing, and I have the luxury of racing without pressure. Every swim will be an opportunity to improve.”

Tickets for the European Aquatics Short Course Swimming Championships Lublin 2025 are available here: https://www.eventim.pl/en/eventseries/european-aquatics-short-course-swimming-4019648/

Mike Rowbottom at European Aquatics

The post Ireland’s Wiffen set for triple title defence at Lublin 2025 in first competitive outing since surgery first appeared on European Aquatics®.