Olympic gold medallist Daniel Wiffen, 24, is relocating his training base from the University of California, Berkeley, to Dublin with Swim Ireland, calling it a "permanent move." The decision follows a "pretty awful" 800m freestyle performance at the Irish Open, despite winning golds in the 400m and 1500m. Wiffen criticized California’s training environment, citing a lack of technical guidance and pressure to avoid disrupting Olympic champions. He praised Dublin’s specialized setup, including input from his former Loughborough coach Andi Manley, and aims to peak for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Wiffen, who moved to the U.S. last year after five years at Loughborough, expressed hope to break records this summer after two benchmark meets. His 1500m performance revealed fading form, prompting the Dublin switch. Swim Ireland’s national performance director, Andy Reid, confirmed discussions about contingency plans if California failed.

Wiffen now prioritizes structured training in Ireland to rebuild fitness and target world records.