Irish swimmer Daniel Wiffen, fresh off his gold and bronze medals at the Paris Olympics, has hinted at a major decision regarding his training base. After leaving Loughborough University in 2025 following five years with the program, he relocated to the University of California, Berkeley, to train alongside top swimmers. But now, with the Irish Open approaching, Wiffen has signaled that he might leave his American setup—but only under one ‘if’ condition.
That condition is simple. It comes down to how fast he swims.
“I’m going to be very honest, if I don’t swim fast next week, I’m not going to stay in California,” Wiffen said. “I’m thinking of coming back to Dublin if it doesn’t go well, but we have to see. If I swim lights out in Bangor, then my decisions obviously can’t have been made.”
For the 24-year-old, it has now become a test of whether his move to the U.S is actually working, with the Irish Open—set to take place from April 12 to 16—serving as the benchmark. This move was driven by a major goal, which is why he left Loughborough.
Olympic Champion Daniel Wiffen reveals that he will move his training base from Cal back to Dublin if he doesn’t “swim fast” at the Irish Open next week:
“I’m thinking of coming back to Dublin if it doesn’t go well.” https://t.co/8nVi1If16A pic.twitter.com/gK0zJeiwWI
— Swim Updates (@swimupdates) April 3, 2026
“I wasn’t convinced I could stay there and still go fast. I wasn’t convinced with the training and the way the program was moving that I could perform at the best of my ability, which is why I moved,” he added. “When I went to California, it was an eye-opening experience; it was all brand new. Now, I’ve been there for a bit of time, so it’s good to see if it works. That’s what I’m judging at the trials.”
Those questions have only grown after his recent performances.
Wiffen had appendicitis just weeks before the 2025 World Championships, which disrupted his preparation at a crucial time. He still chose to compete, making the 800m freestyle, where he finished 8th, before later withdrawing from the 1500m event as the illness took its toll.
Yet he returned later that year at the European Short Course Championships and won gold in the 1500m freestyle with a time of 14:13.96, one of the fastest in the world that year, while also taking bronze in both the 400m and 800m freestyle events. But despite the strong results, none matched his Paris Olympics dominance.
As at the Paris Olympics, Daniel Wiffen won gold in the 800m freestyle with a time of 7:38.19. And with it, he set both an Olympic and European record and became the first Irish male swimmer to win Olympic gold. Additionally, he won a bronze medal in the 1500m freestyle by clocking 14:39.63.
But since moving to California, he has not yet fully matched that Olympic-level dominance, especially in long-course racing. And that is where the doubt begins. That is also why the targets Daniel Wiffen has set for the Irish Open are so precise.
“I have to be sub-14:40 (for 1,500m), around sub-7:42 (for 800m), around 3:44 in the 400m… 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 going to do after,” he added.
And that decision may shape everything that comes next.
Daniel Wiffen’s drive for three golds and the doubts along the way
For Daniel Wiffen, the bigger picture has never changed. His focus is on the 2028 Summer Olympics, as he remarked:
“I think about winning three gold medals in Los Angeles every single day. Every time I get into the water, I remind myself. I picture the people I’ll be racing, even though I don’t know who they’re going to be, because every year somebody new comes through.”
He also believes he will not be alone there, backing his twin brother Nathan to be part of that journey as well.
Daniel Wiffen himself admitted that life in the United States is not always aligned with the kind of focus he built at Loughborough University.
“The training is just quite different, and even though I don’t swim a lot of yards, I just think being in America is fun. There’s quite a lot of distractions, and it’s a good lifestyle, but it’s not the same as what Loughborough was like,” he said. “[It was] all about grind, very similar weather to Ireland, and I love swimming in the rain and when the weather is dull.
“When you’re in the sun, everything becomes a lot harder, and the motivation becomes a lot harder. When I’m swimming in California, my motivation is that I’m with a really good training group and everybody’s pushing each other, whereas in Loughborough, I feel like it was more self-motivation; I was getting there because I wanted to win.”
And that difference between external push and internal drive may now be at the center of his decision.
