DANIEL WIFFEN HAS eased into the final of his preferred event, the 1,500m men’s freestyle.
Aiming for a second gold medal, the 23-year-old was the fastest qualifier out of this morning’s four heats.
With a time of 14:40.34, about six seconds off his national record, Wiffen will have a prized middle lane as he competes for another chance to hear Amhrán na bhFiann ring out at Paris La Defense Arena.
Already an Olympic champion in the 800m, Ireland’s first ever man to win a medal in swimming, he is hoping to double his haul tomorrow evening (5.37pm Irish time).
His main competition will come from defending champion Bobby Finke, who was also the silver medalist in the 800m freestyle; Tunisian teenager Ahmed Jaouadi who won the fourth heat, and Gregorio Paltrinieri who battled it out with Wiffen in the third heat.
However, the American Finke qualified from the fourth and final heat with a time of 14:45.31, leaving him just sixth fastest and almost four seconds slower than Wiffen.
The fastest eight swimmers from across four heats qualified for the final.
Wiffen was calm through the heat, his strokes smooth controlled in lane four.
Staying with the Italian for the first half of the race, he made his move from 750m. By 950m, he had completed his turn when the bronze medalist from the 800m hit the wall.
At 1,350m, there were over three seconds between the men.
Paltrinieri started a sprint in the last 70m to ensure a fast time, having seen off the competition from Australian Sam Shortt who had tried to stay with the distance specialists but – preferring shorter distances – eventually ended in seventh position.
The crowd enjoyed the only actual race in the heat, between that of Frenchmen Damien Joly and David Aubry, as they battled for third place. The younger of the men, Aubry, got his hands on the wall just less than a second before his compatriot. Both have qualified for the final.
Earlier, Danielle Hill missed out on the 50m Freestyle semi-finals.
She finished eighth in her heat – and 21st overall – in a time of 25.02.
“It’s off my best but I’m racing against the fastest girls in the world,” Hill told RTÉ afterwards. “I left it in the pool and I can’t do more than that.”
Written by Sinead O’Carroll and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
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