LAST UPDATE | 31 Jul

OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST Daniel Wiffen has had to withdraw on medical grounds from the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. 

Wiffen is suffering from with ongoing effects of appendicitis he dealt with in June, according to a statement from Swim Ireland and the 24-year-old.

“Just to let everyone know I have medically withdrawn from the World Championships in Singapore due to the appendicitis that I suffered from in June,” said Wiffen. 

“Thank you for all the support in last night’s final. I wasn’t physically at my best, but I will be working towards getting back to full fitness and winning shape soon.”

Wiffen placed eighth in the 800m Freestyle Final on night four of the World Aquatics Championships.

Wiffen, who was crowned Olympic champion in the event a year ago, was looking to defend his 2024 World Championship title but was clearly off-colour, leading for the first 350 metres before falling off.

Meanwhile, today, Fermanagh’s Ellie McCartney has qualified for the 200m Breaststroke Final, on the fifth day of racing at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.

McCartney had the swim of her life as she stormed into the 200m Breaststroke Final, her first World Final on her debut World Championships (50m).

The National Centre Limerick swimmer came home in a lifetime best 2:23.79 for third place in her heat and progresses as the sixth seed for Friday’s 13.08 (IRL) Final.

The 20-year-old, who started the year with a best time of 2:26.76, knocked .25 of a second off her best time of 2:24.04 from the European U23 Championships in Slovakia in June, where she won a silver medal, and was over a second faster than her heat swim of 2:25.22.

A delighted McCartney said after the race, “I’m ecstatic. You know, this is what we train for, we train to perform in the heats, make it through the semis and progress through the rounds. And I think that’s really been a strength this year that I’ve been able to progress through each of the rounds.

“So, to make it to a World Championship Final in my first worlds, it’s really exciting. I think here it’s just been so unpredictable, you know, you get top two, top three in a semi-final and you’re not guaranteed a final, so it’s important that you just put your best foot down and whether or not I made the final, I would be able to walk away satisfied just because, you know, I put my best foot forward and PB’d. I know I’ve left everything in the pool.”

 On Friday’s final, she added, “Oh, it’s going to be such an eye-opening experience. You know, I’ve never been at this level, never mind in a final at this level.

“I have to thank my coaching staff for getting me this far and the support they’ve had and I’m very thankful to have my coach alongside me here, which always does help things.”

Neutral athlete Evgenlia Chikunova will be the top seed for the Final in 2:20.65.

Ellen Walshe has finished eighth in Thursday’s 200m Butterfly Final, her second final of the week, following an eighth place in the 200m Individual Medley on Monday.

The Templeogue swimmer clocked her second fastest time ever in the event in 2:08.34, just outside of the 2:07.48 Irish Record that she swam in Wednesday night’s semi-final.

Speaking after the race Walshe said, “I think even if I was to go back and think I’d be in that final, I would have been like, absolutely not, but I guess expectations build as you are a competitor, but yeah, it’s just a poor performance tonight.”

In the 200m Backstroke Semi-Final, John Shortt swam his third fastest ever time clocking 1:57.30, just outside the 1:56.98 from the heats, to place fifteenth overall.

Shortt is back in action on Friday with Evan Bailey, Cormac Rynn and Jack Cassin in the 4x200m Freestyle Relay.

The quartet are all members at National Centre Limerick.

As well at the relay, Cassin will also be in action in the 100m Butterfly on Friday, while Tom Fannon, Paris Olympic Semi-Finalist, makes his long-awaited Singapore debut in the 50m Freestyle.