Daniel Wiffen narrowly missed out on reaching a second final at the World Championships in Budapest after lowering his own Irish record in the 1500m freestyle by almost five seconds.
Wiffen clocked 14 minutes 57.66 seconds to place fourth in his heat, finishing ninth fastest of those in qualifying action at the Duna Arena.
Earlier in the week, the 20-year-old finished eighth in the final of the 800m freestyle.
Wiffen said of his latest record-breaking effort: "I was very happy with my swim as I'm the first Irish swimmer to break 15 minutes in the 1500m, which is a huge barrier to break.
"Even though I came ninth and just missed the final by less than a second, I know there is more to come, and I can’t wait to get back training and race again at the Commonwealth Games."
The three Tokyo 2020 medallists topped qualifying in the 1500m, with Germany's Florian Wellbrock, Ukraine's Mykhailo Romanchuk and Olympic champion Bobby Finke again looking like the men most likely to contest the podium places.
Ciara McGing will be the next Irish competitor in action in Hungary, with the diver contesting the 10m platform event on Sunday.
Speaking after the race Wiffen said 'I was very happy with my swim as I’m the first Irish swimmer to break 15mins in the 1500m, which is a huge barrier to break. Even though I came ninth and just missed the final by less than a second, I know there is more to come, and I can’t wait to get back training and race again at the Commonwealth Games (July).’
The three Tokyo 2020 medallists lead the qualifications with Germany’s Florian Wellbrock the top seed in 14:50.12, Mykhailo Romanchuk (Ukraine) second in 14:50.68 and Olympic Gold medallist Bobby Finke of the USA third in 14:50.71.
Schedule
Sunday 26th June Ciara McGing 10m Platform 11am
Wednesday 29th June Clare Cryan 1M Springboard 9am
Friday 1st July Clare Cryan 3M Springboard 9am
