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Mary Hannigan: Wiffen and Griggs lead the way for a glorious Irish medal haul

Armagh swimmer sets a new world record; Leo Cullen plays it cool; Castlehaven find a way through the gloom

Daniel Wiffen of Ireland celebrates his victory at the end of the men's 800m Freestyle of the European Short Course Swimming Championships in Otopeni. Photograph: Daniel Mihailescu / AFP

Mary Hannigan's face
Mary Hannigan
Mon Dec 11 2023 - 10:42

Well, that was a golden weekend, from Daniel Wiffen’s world record-breaking triumph at the European Short Course Swimming Championships to the under-20 men’s team victory at the European Cross Country Championships. Those who’ve already written their reviews of the Irish sporting year are now having to add a heap more paragraphs.

Wiffen became the first Irish swimmer to break a world record, and not just any old one – Grant Hackett, the seven-time Olympic medal winner, had set the previous 800 metre freestyle mark 15 years ago. Ian O’Riordan has a notion that it will be the first of many for the 22-year-old from Armagh, “his level of talent and ability and sheer determination in that realm now undisputed”.

And for another Ulster man, Tyrone’s Nick Griggs, it was a stunner of a Sunday too, his bronze medal-winning run in the under-20 race sending Ireland on their way to European Cross Country team gold. There was a remarkable performance from Fionnuala McCormack too, the 39-year-old mother of three just missing out on a medal with her fifth fourth-place finish at the Championships.

In rugby, Leinster’s victory away to their old buddies La Rochelle gave us a positive conclusion to an otherwise iffy Champions cup weekend, Connacht and Ulster both losing, and Munster surrendering a healthy enough lead in their draw with Bayonne.

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Gerry Thornley was at Stade Marcel Deflandre to witness Leinster’s 16-9 win, Leo Cullen not getting too carried away with the success. “It’s only round one for starters,” he said. Still, he was considerably happier than Munster’s Graham Rowntree whose side had led 14-3 at half-time. “It feels like a loss,” he admitted.

There was no shortage of drama in Gaelic games either over the weekend, Denis Walsh at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick to see Castlehaven beat Dingle on penalties in the Munster football final, while Derry’s Glen got the better of Monaghan’s Scotstown in the Ulster decider to set up a tasty All Ireland semi-final with Kilmacud Crokes, a repeat of last season’s final.

Gavin Cummiskey brings news from a tempestuous FAI AGM, while Ken Early takes a look at Aston Villa’s “metamorphosis into title-contenders” under Unai Emery, suggesting that his predecessor Steven Gerrard prepared the ground for the Spaniard “by being the worst manager of the club that anyone could remember”.

And in light of Victor Dubuisson’s announcement that he is retiring from golf at the age of just 32, the French man saying that “the solitude had become extremely heavy,” Denis Walsh writes about how “brutally hard it is to make it in professional golf”. For the vast majority of players, he says, “finding a footing anywhere on the ladder is a cold, gruelling, remorseless business”.

TV Watch: We could tell you that there’s a feast of sport on your tellies tonight, but unless the Scottish Snooker Open (Eurosport, 1pm-5pm, 7pm-11pm), Portsmouth v Bolton (Sky Sports Football, 8.0) or Rayo Vallecano v Celta Vigo (LaLigaTV and Premier Sports 1, 8pm) floats your boat, we’d be lying.