Olympic champ Daniel Wiffen may swap California training base for Dublin

The 24-year old made the switch from his long-time base in Loughborough University in the UK to Cal Berkeley, where his twin brother Nathan also swims, last year

Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen during the the 800m in Lublin. Pic: Andrea Masini/Inpho

Ireland’s Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen has said that he will quit his new training base in California and likely return to Dublin if he does not post the times he is looking for at this month’s Irish Open in Bangor.

The 24-year old, never one to disguise his true thoughts in the public sphere, made the switch from his long-time base in Loughborough University in the UK to Cal Berkeley, where his twin brother Nathan also swims, last year.

Wiffen underwent appendix surgery in 2025 and spoke of how that, personal issues and the switch Stateside affected his performance for a time after returning to the pool for the European Short Course Championships in Poland in December when he won three medals.

The switch from the UK came about because he had come to doubt that the programme in Loughborough was still the place for him if he wanted to keep swimming faster, but he has clearly yet to be fully convinced that California is the place for him either.

“So when I went to California, it's kind of like an eye-opening experience, everything was brand new,” he explained over Zoom on Wednesday afternoon. “Everything was kind of working.

“Now we've been there a bit of time it's good to see if it actually does work, and that's what I'm judging at the trials. I'm going to be very honest with everybody on the call, if I don't swim fast next week, I'm not staying in California.” 

Wiffen will be swimming in his three usual events, the 400m, 800m and 1500m, as well as the 200m. The goal is that he can swim under 14.40, below 7.42 and in and around 3.44 respectively in the first three of those. If that happens, great. If not… 

“If I’m around those times, under or around PB, then that's great. That obviously means the training is working, and if it doesn't work then I [have to figure out] what I'm gonna do after.

“I don't know how I'm going to swim next week because of the training. Well, I know I'm going to be fast, but who knows how fast? So in terms of the me saying that, I'm just telling you that that's kind of what I'm thinking.

“And to be honest, if you really want to know what I'm thinking, I'm thinking probably coming back to Dublin if not, if it doesn't go well. That’s kind of what I've been thinking, but we have to see. If I swim lights out in Bangor then my decision’s kind of been made.”

Adapting to a new way of life in and out of the pool in the States has been at turns exciting and challenging. One of the simplest yet most significant of changes has been the fact that the Americans race in yards rather than metres.

That’s a fundamental change for any swimmer to get their heads around and even the sunnier climes have taken some getting used to for a man who loved swimming in the rain and the “grind” that came with that closer to home.

“When I'm swimming in California I'd say the motivation is because I'm there with a very fast training group and everybody's pushing each other, whereas in Loughborough I feel like it was more self-motivation, where I was more getting in there because I wanted to win.

“I wanted to do all these things where I feel like now the group is kind of pushing me to swim fast, which I like, but I think I want a bit of the self-motivation back. So I want to see what the next week goes but I'll happily answer your questions after I swim next week.”

The underlying thought process behind all this is simple: if something isn’t working for him then he will look for a better alternative. Wiffen has an excellent relationship going back years with new Swim Ireland high-performance director Andy Reid.

Whatever about the journey, the goal never changes: the next Olympics in 2028.

“I think about winning three goals in LA every single day, every single time that I get in to the water. I remind myself every time I get in, I picture the people who I'm racing beside, even though I don't know who they're gonna be, because every year somebody new comes up.

“It was like me and Paris or 2023 when I was this guy up-and-coming. There's always somebody younger coming up. You've always got to figure them out, but I’ll have them figured out by the time it comes down. I'm ready to race. That's just me.

“I'd say I've actually become, over the years, quite adaptable.”