Irish swimmer hospitalized after Seine race misses the flag-bearing role

Daniel Wiffen, Ireland's first-ever Olympic gold medallist in swimming, has been hospitalized due to illness. Earlier, he competed in a 10-kilometre race in the Seine River.

Daniel Wiffen was supposed to be the Irish team's flag bearer during the Olympics' closing ceremony in Paris but ended up in the hospital due to a mysterious illness. He shared the news about his health via social media.

Thanks everyone who reached out, I’m incredibly disappointed to miss out on the opportunity to be flag bearer last night. Yesterday I rushed to hospital as I was very unwell with a bug that I am being treated for, and am feeling better now, - he wrote on Instagram.

Securing gold in the 800-metre freestyle and bronze in the 1,500-metre event was a great success for him. His debut in open water swimming over 10 kilometres in the Seine ended in 18th place, leaving him extremely exhausted.

After the race, Wiffen confessed that it was his first and last time in such a competition, describing the difficulties he experienced as some of the worst in his career. Despite the setback, he emphasized that his decision to leave open-water swimming was not related to the quality of the river's water.

The quality of the water in the Seine had already been a topic of discussion before the Olympics. Since 2015, the French have invested over a billion euros in the operation to clean the river. However, many athletes complained about feeling unwell after the events. From their accounts, some experienced nausea.

One athlete even said that he "saw and felt things he would rather forget while swimming."