Olympic gold medallist Daniel Wiffen said he hardly slept after his 800m freestyle triumph.
The 23-year-old Armagh man stormed the final stretch in the La Defense Arena to clinch gold in an Olympic record time last night.
After receiving his medal on the podium, Wiffen said he went straight into anti-doping and then the swim-down before treating himself to some pizza.
"We left the pool at 12.30am, got back into the dining hall, had a couple slices of pizza, then tried to go to bed - did not happen," he said.
"Got to bed at about 3.30am and woke up at 7.30 this morning. I didn't get too much sleep but that’s not surprising.
"I watched it (the race) before I went to sleep because I knew I wouldn’t sleep so I watched it and I’m very happy, it was paced to perfection, that’s all we can ask for.
"Words can't describe how you feel when you wake up and next to your pillow is an Olympic gold medal."
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Wiffen's family - including his twin brother Nathan - were poolside to witness his stunning victory.
He said: "It was amazing to see my twin brother in the crowd, you can't ask for more than that, then my whole family being there.
"Words just can’t describe, seeing my mum crying and that setting me off. And the national anthem, tears going down my face. I’ve kind of forgotten it because it’s gone so quick, but it’s so cool.
"My parents have been driving me to 4.30am practice, it’s been a relentless journey. I’ve been doing this since I was at least 12-years-old and they kept doing it for me and they’re the reason I’m here today.
"They’re a massive part, and that’s why I say it’s never an individual sport, swimming, I’ve got this whole support network behind me."
Read more: Meet Daniel Wiffen - Ireland's gold medal winning swimmer
Wiffen will now be eyeing more success in the 1500m freestyle, with the heats due to start on Saturday morning.
He said he will return to training tonight and temporarily put his 800m win "under the bed".
"I'm taking it in my stride, the 1500 is in a couple of days. Today is about getting all the emotions out and then tonight I’ll get back to training. I wanted to swim this morning, I miss the pool already.
"I’m going to refocus, forget about this race, put it under the bed after this morning and I’ll revisit it when I’m finished."
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