Friends and rivals - Wiffen and McMillan raise swimming’s profile in NI

Daniel Wiffen and Jack McMillan are friends and rivals.

Wiffen competes for Ireland, McMillan for Great Britain but both are from Northern Ireland.

They're Olympic, World and European champions and have raced each other since they were teenagers at Swim Ulster-organised galas.

However, until they lined up alongside one another in the 400m freestyle final at the recent European Short Course Championships in Poland, they'd never competed against one another at an international competition.

The pair were team-mates for Ireland at the rearranged Olympics in Tokyo in 2021. McMillan then transferred to Great Britain as his training base moved to the University of Stirling in Scotland.

The 25 year-old from Belfast is best known as a 200m freestyle swimmer and as a member of the hugely successful Team GB 4x200m freestyle relay squad that won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics and again at this year's World Championships.

Wiffen, a year younger than McMillan from the village of Magheralin that straddles the border between counties Armagh and Down, made history in Paris becoming Ireland's first ever male Olympic swimming champion, winning gold in the 800m freestyle and bronze in the 1500m.

So here they now were, on the blocks, next to each other, in a European final.

"It was just funny because I think it was like the first time we probably raced each other, to be honest, because we don't really do the same events," explained McMillan.

"So for him to come down a little bit from the distance events and and me to go up from the 200m it was good.

"Like being beside each other, actually racing. Racing each other was fun.

"Obviously, there were a lot of people in this part of the world watching that race, a little conflicted but absolutely terrific to have two guys from Northern Ireland battling it out for top spots at a European championships."

McMillan stalked Wiffen for most of the race before overtaking his friend to claim his first senior international individual title. Wiffen was third.

"Obviously, I was the European champion from 2023, so it was bittersweet losing it, but it was amazing to share a podium with Jack," said Wiffen.

"I'm not going to lie, I think Jack has beaten me, like, twenty times in the 400 freestyle when I was younger.

"For me, the 400m is always going to be that warm-up event for my main events in the 800 and 1500m freestyle, but I do take it seriously and I do want to win a medal in it, but it would always be the distance events that are my priority.

"I did mention to Jack, though, he can win European Championships and still not get an Ulster record."

Wiffen, who had appendicitis surgery in September, rebounded by retaining his European title in the 1500m freestyle in a sensational race and then added a bronze in the 800m.

McMillan added a silver medal behind Great Britain team-mate and training partner Duncan Scott in the 200m freestyle.

Incredibly, it meant that between them, the two swimmers from Northern Ireland medalled in the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle.

And that bodes well for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next summer when the two rivals will become team-mates.

"I mean, it's amazing for Jack to get that individual success," Wiffen explained.

"Jack and I have always been like really good friends. We talk all the time and to medal in the four freestyle events, that's pretty incredible and it's good for the Commonwealth Games, to show that we're really going at our full speed and we're getting ready for it to perform well in Glasgow."

"I think it will be fun as I'm sure both of us will be doing the 400m freestyle," added McMillan.

"I think because it's in Glasgow, it's going to be really great. It's almost like a home games and people can come and watch quite easily, so I think the atmosphere is going to be great.

"Off the back of the success of Paris, it has really just allowed all of us to move swimming forward even more.

"I think that's the difference from previous Commonwealth Games. The belief for a lot of people is there rather than just one or two. And I think that's really going to be exciting."

In fact, it promises to be the strongest Northern Ireland swimming squad to ever compete at a Commonwealth Games.

As well as the two Olympic champions, it's expected to include Olympians Grace Davison, Danielle Hill, Victoria Catterson and Conor Ferguson as well as world finalist Ellie McCartney and up-and-coming young stars like Lottie Cullen and Nathan Wiffen.

Paralympians Bethany Firth and Barry McClements are also expected to compete.

"We're going to come out of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with a record medal haul for swimming," says Wiffen.

"My job is to get that gold for Northern Ireland but we're going to see loads of medals.

"I think we'll get one on the podium in the 400m freestyle, definitely.

"I don't know who it'll be, you know, we'll have to see, hopefully me."

There's no doubt it's a friendly rivalry, one that has already paid dividends in helping to raise swimming's profile in the sporting landscape of Northern Ireland.

It's one that looks set to continue to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 and that's exciting for sports fans everywhere.