Back in early April, Daniel Wiffen set a condition for himself. If he did not swim faster than his previous best at the Irish Open, he would likely move away from his training base in California, where he had been training since September 2025. But unfortunately, things did not go exactly as planned in Ireland; he won multiple national titles, but did not meet his personal targets in terms of times. And now, he is leaving the American setup, but before that, Wiffen made comments that hinted at his frustration with the training environment in California.

The Irish swimmer is now returning to the National Aquatics Centre (NAC) in Dublin to continue building toward the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Looking back at his time in the United States, he told Swim Updates: “I kind of really enjoyed my time in America… I had a really good time. The training environment was very good. I really enjoyed being part of a college team again… I just think for me, maybe the kind of type of work I was doing wasn’t very good.”

Well, the move to the US came with big expectations. Daniel Wiffen arrived at the Paris Olympics, where he won gold in the 800m freestyle and bronze in the 1500m freestyle with 14:39.63. But the following season brought challenges.

Weeks before the 2025 World Championships, Wiffen suffered from appendicitis, which disrupted a crucial training block. Even during that period, Daniel Wiffen had spoken positively about the American experience, saying, “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.” But as time passed, that initial enthusiasm wore off as the races and feedback from training did not quite live up to his expectations.

This came at the Bangor Irish Open. While it confirmed his national superiority, it also revealed problems. Wiffen had been considering moving back to Dublin before his Irish Open. Sure, he had aimed for 7:42 in the 800m but swam 7:58.08 on his way to gold. In the 1500m, he said the race itself made things clear.

“In 1500m I got to the 1000m mark in a second off PB pace, and I could feel it fading, and it was all down to the training,” Daniel Wiffen explained. “I wasn’t doing the right type of work I used to do, so when it came to the decision, I sat down with Andy Reid [National Performance Director at Swim Ireland] and talked to him. We had talked of the back-up plan….”

He also gave a more direct view of his time in the United States, pointing to what he felt was missing in his training environment. “In California, it felt like you kind of didn’t know what you were doing. You were having to push yourself; there wasn’t much guidance or criticism of technique. They didn’t want to mess up the Olympic champion, which is what I felt. They were trying to do what they wanted to do, not what’s good for me.”

With the Commonwealth Games and European Championships ahead, Daniel Wiffen is now focused on regaining momentum. But it looks like the first real “test” of the training change in Dublin is already paying off.

Daniel Wiffen’s Dublin reset brings back the winning formula ahead of LA 2028

As Daniel Wiffen is back at the National Aquatics Centre in Dublin, the early signs after his first training block have already been positive. Daniel Wiffen himself pointed to the shift in environment and said, “I’m actually just doing the same work I was doing when I won the Paris Olympics, and that’s because my old coach has a bit of involvement too in what I’m doing, even though I’m training in Dublin.”

Before his move to California, Wiffen was training at Loughborough University from 2019 to 2025. Those years shaped his rise at the top level. Working mainly under Andi Manley, he developed from a strong prospect into a world champion and then an Olympic champion. That period is still the foundation he keeps referring back to now, even as his base has changed.

Daniel Wiffen will work with his former Loughborough coach Andi Manley and Swim Ireland coach Steve Beckerleg at the NAC, while also receiving performance direction from Andy Reid.

Wiffen has already sounded confident about the direction things are going. “So for me, I just know it’s going to work, and that’s kind of exciting for me because I can, it’ll probably give me four weeks, and I’ll be right back at my personal best shape again.”

Even though the immediate focus is on the 2026 season, Daniel Wiffen’s bigger picture is very clear. Los Angeles 2028 sits at the center of everything he is doing now. “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.”

And Daniel Wiffen is not planning to chase that journey alone. Wiffen has also backed his twin brother Nathan to be part of the same Olympic path, hoping both can line up together on the biggest stage in Los Angeles.