Daniel Wiffen to make history in 'gruelling' open water marathon swim

Irish swimmer Daniel Wiffen is set to face his toughest Olypmic challenge yet when he takes on the gruelling Men’s Marathon Swim early this Friday morning.

The 800m Freestyle Champion and 1500m Freestyle Bronze medalists, who has never competed in an international open water race, will set another piece of Irish history as he becomes Ireland’s first ever competitor in Marathon Swimming at an Olympic Games, this Friday morning, August 9.

The 10km route will be on a 1.67km loop (6 loops) in the River Seine; the original venue for the swimming competition at these Games in 1924, between the Pont Alexandre III (where the boats started out for Opening Ceremony), and the Pont de l’Alma.

The beginning of each loop will be easier as the 31 swimmers entered will have the current on their side, but the return more arduous, as competitors battle against the tide.

The race kicks off at 6.30am and is expected to take just under two hours to complete.

Rhasidat Adeleke scores another first for Ireland on Friday as she becomes the first Irish woman to contest an Olympic 400m final at the Stade de France in Paris. 

The 21-year-old from Tallaght takes to the track at 7pm Irish time aiming to be in the mix, but the task ahead will be far from straightforward, with a particularly high calibre field vying for podium places.

Also on Friday, Stephanie Meadow and Leona Maguire will be hopeful of a significant change in fortunes when they take on round three of the individual singles at Le Golf National tomorrow, while Sarah Lavin, Mark O'Connor and the Women’s 4x400m Relay all face heats throughout the day.