Wiffen eighth in 800m final at World Championships

Olympic 800-meter freestyle champion Daniel Wiffen was unable to defend his world title after placing eighth in the Singaporean final.

After 300 meters, Wiffen, a native of Northern Ireland, took the lead, but he soon became reeled in and faded as the race progressed.

He had mentioned that he had appendicitis in the weeks leading up to the Worlds, and that despite avoiding surgery, he still felt “really weak” after making it to the final as the final qualifier from the heats.

The 24-year-old admitted to being “comfortable” in the opening moments but quickly sagged because his “stomach was in pieces”

“It’s obvious that I didn’t do my best job, from winning the Olympics last year to finishing eighth in the final,” said Wiffen.

“I’m happy to be in the final and making progress, man. Although not my best performance, I was pleased to be in the final.

Ahmed Jaouadi of Tunisia won the gold medal in a time of 7:36.88, ahead of Sven Schwartz and Lukas Martens from Germany.

After the opening 100 meters, when he was on a world record pace from the outside lane, Wiffen quickly emerged from the blocks and led the race.

At the 300-meter mark, he continued to lead the country, but Jaouadi, Schwatrz, Martens, and Bobby Finke, his American Olympic rival, quickly caught him and passed him.

As Jaouardi extended his lead, the Irishman continued to fall, and Wiffen eventually came home in eighth place, some 22 seconds behind the Tunisian.

After a blistering final 400 meters, Jaouadi’s time was the third-fastest ever in the sport.

When the heats begin on Saturday, Wiffen will attempt to reclaim his 1500-meter freestyle title despite a subpar defense of his 800-meter crown.

Danielle Hill also placed second in the 50-meter backstroke, posting the best time of the season, but fell short of the final by placing 12th fastest in the semi-finals.

After her swim, Hill posted a time of 27.71 seconds and described having “very mixed emotions.”

There is something we need to change in order to improve, she said, noting that I want to be in that final and have spent some time there.

Although I’m disappointed not to be in that final, this week’s test will be very difficult to learn.