Daniel Wiffen: Call-room intimidation, walkout tactics and the target on his back

Double world champion Daniel Wiffen admits it has always been about the podium in Paris.

DOUBLE WORLD CHAMPION: Two-time World Champion and PTSB Team Ireland ambassador Daniel Wiffen returns to Irish waters following World Championship success in Doha. The County Armagh native has won Ireland's first ever World Aquatics Championships gold medal. Pic: Dan Sheridan, Inpho

When Daniel Wiffen first arrived at Loughborough University, he was the worst swimmer there. His career trajectory dramatically altered at the British facility.

"When I was a junior, you can tell from testing if there is good physiology. I didn’t seem to have any of that,” says the 22-year-old. Wiffen won gold medals in the 800m and 1500m freestyle events at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha recently. He is now a renowned star in world swimming.

“My physiologist is the same since I was 15. He works in Loughborough. He told me I wasn’t going to be better than nationally. After I broke the World Record, I went up to him and said, what do you think now? I think it is more that I will put 100% into everything.

“I was terrible, I can’t really say terrible, but I wasn’t a very good junior swimmer. I made the European GB championships as my first competition when I was 18. From then I started making competitions, but I was nowhere near. I had no national medals when I was younger, I’d be in a final but nothing special. Everything kicked off when I started university in Loughborough.” 

Last December in Romania, Wiffen set a short course world record in the 800-metre freestyle. He finished in 7 minutes, 20.46 seconds to take gold at the European Short Course Swimming Championships.

His housemate and twin brother, Nathan, competed in the same race and emerged first. In a tribute to 100m sprinter Noah Lyles, he walked out like a western gunfighter. Daniel saw his brother do it and decided to join in. In Doha he pretended to make a phone call. ‘Dialled in,’ for the unacquainted.

“The reason I do those walkouts is to relax myself before the race,” he explains. “If I’m too busy thinking about the stupid walkout that I am going to enjoy, it changes my mindset towards the race. You feel all these nerves coming towards the race, if I am constantly thinking about the race, I’ll do something wrong.” 

The call room can be an intimidating place. He has to ease through it.

“I don’t stare anyone down. I try to sit at the back and try to not look at anyone. People always try to stare you out. I’ve had people jump on me before, step on me, shoulder me in the call room.

“That was when I was younger, maybe people were scared because they weren’t sure what I was going to do. Now, especially at World Championships, I don’t have any of those issues. I’m pretty friendly with all the people I am racing.” 

This is the midpoint of his season. It is an ideal opportunity for a small break before another block of arduous training. Wiffen will head to Arizona shortly where they will train at altitude. Several other teams will be in attendance. The plan is to log 100km in the pool each week.

Previously his coach, Andi Manley, has said it is a challenge to hold Wiffen back for his own sake. They observe his load with heart rate monitors and lactate threshold, slowing him down when necessary. Now is a chance to go hard. He relishes that challenge.

“This is my second time going to Arizona. Loughborough University to do some testing. They told me I get the most benefit of any athlete they have seen, the amount of red blood cells and stuff like that. We are going for four weeks. Normally we go for three, but we’ve an extra week to try get more benefit from it. It is a great place because it is more focused on distance and freestyle.” 

That is merely a staging post as he charts a path to the summit. Ever since the Tokyo Games in 2021, it has always been about the podium in Paris. He is always keen to stress that.

“I feel like I always have a target on my back. I’m quite vocal on social media and put out a lot of videos of what I do. Maybe it makes people want to beat me, but you have to embrace it. If you are going to be at the top, you are going to have a target on your back. My goal is just not to get beaten.” 

Daniel Wiffen was speaking as a PTSB Team Ireland Ambassador.