It is difficult to remember a time when the sport had as much success in recent memory.
The feel-good factor was underlined by the recent European Aquatics Short Course Swimming Championships in Lublin.
The Irish team finished the tournament with three gold, one silver and three bronze, leaving them fifth on the overall medal table.
To put that achievement into context, in the competition’s history, Ireland have six golds, three silvers and 12 bronze, with Andrew Bree — the recipient of the team’s first-ever medal, a silver, in 2003.
Moreover, current swimmers are responsible for all six of the golds — Daniel Wiffen (4), Ellen Walshe and John Shortt.
So why are Ireland experienced this unprecedented level of success all of a sudden?
Wiffen cites the importance of Jon Rudd — the controversial former Swim Ireland performance director, who left the role earlier this year and was accused of “bullying, a toxic training environment and controlling food culture” by 12 swimmers during a previous role he held in England.
“He’s started this pathway of creating success for the pool. He’s one of the reasons why I was so successful because of the work he put into Irish swimming,” Wiffen says.
“It turned it around from what it was. We came from a nation of winning no medals to winning medals. He’s moved on now. We’re looking for a new performance director.
“We’ve got interim Andy Reid, whom I’ve known since I started swimming. He coached me when I was younger as well. It’s been pretty cool having him on the team.”
As influential as Rudd has been, however, he could not persuade Wiffen against the decision, which he announced in August, to move his training base to California, to train with the elite team at the University of California, Berkeley, along with his twin brother Nathan.
The Armagh swimmer had previously been based at Loughborough University in the UK.
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“Jon helped me with every swimming decision that I’ve ever made in my career. I obviously consulted him on the move to California. He was very hesitant at the start because nobody had ever been in California before that he’d known, or any Irish swimmer.
“But he knows that I’d taken a risk going to Loughborough before, obviously, it’s still very close. But I think he tried to sway me to stay in Ireland, and I tried it out, but he just wanted the best for me. So whatever decision I took, he was happy.”
Despite only being 24, Wiffen was the oldest member of the Irish team that travelled to Poland.
“We’ve lost a lot of the oldest swimmers,” he says. “Maybe some could say that’s a good thing. We’ve shifted from that old mentality of we’re just here to compete, we’re just here to turn up.
“We’ve got these young, hungry swimmers like John Shortt and Evan Bailey. They’re the reason why the team is pushing. We’ve got this younger generation who wants to keep getting better. I’m technically still part of the younger generation as well.
“I want to keep getting better. We lost the swimmers at the top end who were maybe just there for the participation. We’ve got the people in now that are ready to win.”
Swim Ireland on Tuesday launched its groundbreaking 'Swimming Pool Gap Analysis Report,' revealing critical deficiencies in Ireland's swimming infrastructure. The report makes an urgent call for investment to ensure 'A Pool Within Reach' for every Irish person. Pictured are (L-R) Minister for Communications, Culture & Sport, Patrick O'Donovan, Swim Ireland CEO Sarah Keane, Olympic, Double World and European Champion, Daniel Wiffen, Director of Operations & Incoming Interim CEO, Mary McMorrow and Minister of State for Sport, Charlie McConalogue at the report's launch event in Dublin. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Wiffen could be considered somewhat of a trailblazer in this regard. It was the Magheralin native who began this remarkable run with an array of notable successes culminating in bronze and gold medals at the Paris Olympics last year.
“That was actually one of the main comments that was coming around Lublin from all the staff from the swimming. I don’t believe them, but they said it was infectious what I did in Paris.
“They said that they all got the buzz from it, and everybody then saw what was possible. It was ‘statistically impossible’ for me to win a medal in Paris. It’s never been done before what I did. I’ve never medalled at a European juniors or finaled at a world juniors.
“Nobody had ever won an Olympic gold medal without doing that. I was the first person ever. Now it becomes 99.2% or whatever. Now it becomes possible.
“I saw a lot of children who are saying that I can be a not good junior swimmer, to then become an incredible senior swimmer. I just think it’s amazing to see. I see John Shortt shout me out in an interview, for saying that he got some inspiration from my swims, but I got inspiration from his swims too. It’s kind of working back and forth.
“I may be the first person to do it, but I get inspiration from these people doing it now.
“At the World Championships, I was the only one to medal. And then Paris, it was me and Mona [McSharry]. And then going in with four people who are all on the podium, it’s very nice because I get to celebrate with everybody else and celebrate the seven medals that we got.”
Yet for all the success the Irish team have enjoyed, there is still a degree of dissatisfaction within the governing body.
On Tuesday, Swim Ireland released its Swimming Pool Gap Analysis Report.
The report “reveals significant deficiencies in Ireland’s aquatic infrastructure and highlights a pressing need for urgent investment and strategic planning to ensure every Irish person has access to swimming facilities and the life-saving skill of swimming”.
The document continues: “Only one public pool per 81,053 people in the Republic of Ireland – dramatically lagging international best practices – and with 57% of pools in hotels, which often entails limited public access and higher membership costs, barriers to participation are at an all-time high. Swimming is Ireland’s number two sport behind personal exercise and is the most popular sport for women and people with a disability. Yet more than half of facilities, and 73% of hotel pools, lack essential pool hoists.
“Waiting lists for swimming lessons exist at 67% of pools, while an ageing infrastructure, lack of accessibility features, and unsustainable energy models threaten the potential of swimming across the island. Regional disparities are particularly acute, with no 50-meter pool in Connacht, forcing residents to travel an average of 100km.”
Wiffen also outlined his frustrations with the financial limitations imposed on elite swimmers and advised Short, after the 18-year-old enjoyed his breakthrough senior event at the Europeans last week.
“I was just giving him some advice about sponsorship because at the end of the day, we don’t have enough funding to fund ourselves as professional athletes or as student-athletes.
“You can’t fund yourself off the €18,000 minimum funding that we get to become an Olympic champion.
“So I was telling John, give him some advice on sponsorship. Tell him about social media and stuff like that. And also tell him about making sure that he goes back and works even harder.”
Still, despite these issues, morale overall within the camp is positive after a sensational couple of days.
“We definitely lost this bond as a nation in terms of swimming. We had a very big team ranging from 30 all the way down to 18 or 17. So it’s always hard to bridge the age gaps. Now, Tom Fannon is technically the oldest, but he wasn’t on the team at this time. But for me, being 24 and the youngest being John Short at 18, it’s a very easy gap.
“Obviously, I feel like I’m younger than 24, so it’s easy for me to have a conversation with them. I’ve grown up with a lot of these guys as well, like Eoin Corby on the team. We were on Juniors the whole way through. So for me, the team is just the best thing at the moment.
“We all had dinner together, which has never happened before. After the Europeans, we had all 15 swimmers sit down and have dinner and just chat about anything. It was great. I’m looking forward to what’s to come in the summer [at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris], just off how positive this team is going to be.”
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'We've shifted from that old mentality of we're just here to compete, we're just here to turn up'
IN MANY WAYS, Irish swimming is in rude health.
It is difficult to remember a time when the sport had as much success in recent memory.
The feel-good factor was underlined by the recent European Aquatics Short Course Swimming Championships in Lublin.
The Irish team finished the tournament with three gold, one silver and three bronze, leaving them fifth on the overall medal table.
To put that achievement into context, in the competition’s history, Ireland have six golds, three silvers and 12 bronze, with Andrew Bree — the recipient of the team’s first-ever medal, a silver, in 2003.
Moreover, current swimmers are responsible for all six of the golds — Daniel Wiffen (4), Ellen Walshe and John Shortt.
So why are Ireland experienced this unprecedented level of success all of a sudden?
Wiffen cites the importance of Jon Rudd — the controversial former Swim Ireland performance director, who left the role earlier this year and was accused of “bullying, a toxic training environment and controlling food culture” by 12 swimmers during a previous role he held in England.
“He’s started this pathway of creating success for the pool. He’s one of the reasons why I was so successful because of the work he put into Irish swimming,” Wiffen says.
“It turned it around from what it was. We came from a nation of winning no medals to winning medals. He’s moved on now. We’re looking for a new performance director.
“We’ve got interim Andy Reid, whom I’ve known since I started swimming. He coached me when I was younger as well. It’s been pretty cool having him on the team.”
As influential as Rudd has been, however, he could not persuade Wiffen against the decision, which he announced in August, to move his training base to California, to train with the elite team at the University of California, Berkeley, along with his twin brother Nathan.
The Armagh swimmer had previously been based at Loughborough University in the UK.
“Jon helped me with every swimming decision that I’ve ever made in my career. I obviously consulted him on the move to California. He was very hesitant at the start because nobody had ever been in California before that he’d known, or any Irish swimmer.
“But he knows that I’d taken a risk going to Loughborough before, obviously, it’s still very close. But I think he tried to sway me to stay in Ireland, and I tried it out, but he just wanted the best for me. So whatever decision I took, he was happy.”
Despite only being 24, Wiffen was the oldest member of the Irish team that travelled to Poland.
“We’ve lost a lot of the oldest swimmers,” he says. “Maybe some could say that’s a good thing. We’ve shifted from that old mentality of we’re just here to compete, we’re just here to turn up.
“We’ve got these young, hungry swimmers like John Shortt and Evan Bailey. They’re the reason why the team is pushing. We’ve got this younger generation who wants to keep getting better. I’m technically still part of the younger generation as well.
“I want to keep getting better. We lost the swimmers at the top end who were maybe just there for the participation. We’ve got the people in now that are ready to win.”
Wiffen could be considered somewhat of a trailblazer in this regard. It was the Magheralin native who began this remarkable run with an array of notable successes culminating in bronze and gold medals at the Paris Olympics last year.
“That was actually one of the main comments that was coming around Lublin from all the staff from the swimming. I don’t believe them, but they said it was infectious what I did in Paris.
“They said that they all got the buzz from it, and everybody then saw what was possible. It was ‘statistically impossible’ for me to win a medal in Paris. It’s never been done before what I did. I’ve never medalled at a European juniors or finaled at a world juniors.
“Nobody had ever won an Olympic gold medal without doing that. I was the first person ever. Now it becomes 99.2% or whatever. Now it becomes possible.
“I saw a lot of children who are saying that I can be a not good junior swimmer, to then become an incredible senior swimmer. I just think it’s amazing to see. I see John Shortt shout me out in an interview, for saying that he got some inspiration from my swims, but I got inspiration from his swims too. It’s kind of working back and forth.
“I may be the first person to do it, but I get inspiration from these people doing it now.
“At the World Championships, I was the only one to medal. And then Paris, it was me and Mona [McSharry]. And then going in with four people who are all on the podium, it’s very nice because I get to celebrate with everybody else and celebrate the seven medals that we got.”
Yet for all the success the Irish team have enjoyed, there is still a degree of dissatisfaction within the governing body.
On Tuesday, Swim Ireland released its Swimming Pool Gap Analysis Report.
The report “reveals significant deficiencies in Ireland’s aquatic infrastructure and highlights a pressing need for urgent investment and strategic planning to ensure every Irish person has access to swimming facilities and the life-saving skill of swimming”.
The document continues: “Only one public pool per 81,053 people in the Republic of Ireland – dramatically lagging international best practices – and with 57% of pools in hotels, which often entails limited public access and higher membership costs, barriers to participation are at an all-time high. Swimming is Ireland’s number two sport behind personal exercise and is the most popular sport for women and people with a disability. Yet more than half of facilities, and 73% of hotel pools, lack essential pool hoists.
“Waiting lists for swimming lessons exist at 67% of pools, while an ageing infrastructure, lack of accessibility features, and unsustainable energy models threaten the potential of swimming across the island. Regional disparities are particularly acute, with no 50-meter pool in Connacht, forcing residents to travel an average of 100km.”
Wiffen also outlined his frustrations with the financial limitations imposed on elite swimmers and advised Short, after the 18-year-old enjoyed his breakthrough senior event at the Europeans last week.
“I was just giving him some advice about sponsorship because at the end of the day, we don’t have enough funding to fund ourselves as professional athletes or as student-athletes.
“You can’t fund yourself off the €18,000 minimum funding that we get to become an Olympic champion.
“So I was telling John, give him some advice on sponsorship. Tell him about social media and stuff like that. And also tell him about making sure that he goes back and works even harder.”
Still, despite these issues, morale overall within the camp is positive after a sensational couple of days.
“We definitely lost this bond as a nation in terms of swimming. We had a very big team ranging from 30 all the way down to 18 or 17. So it’s always hard to bridge the age gaps. Now, Tom Fannon is technically the oldest, but he wasn’t on the team at this time. But for me, being 24 and the youngest being John Short at 18, it’s a very easy gap.
“Obviously, I feel like I’m younger than 24, so it’s easy for me to have a conversation with them. I’ve grown up with a lot of these guys as well, like Eoin Corby on the team. We were on Juniors the whole way through. So for me, the team is just the best thing at the moment.
“We all had dinner together, which has never happened before. After the Europeans, we had all 15 swimmers sit down and have dinner and just chat about anything. It was great. I’m looking forward to what’s to come in the summer [at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris], just off how positive this team is going to be.”
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Daniel wiffen John Shortt Jon Rudd mindset Swim Ireland Swimming