Olympic gold medallist Daniel Wiffen has left his training base at the University of California, Berkeley, and relocated to Dublin to train with Swim Ireland, describing the move as a permanent one through the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Wiffen, 24, made the switch after a difficult stint in California that lasted less than a year. He moved to the United States following five years at Loughborough University, but quickly found the training environment didn't suit him.
"In California it felt like you kind of didn't know what you were doing," he told BBC Sport. "You were having to push yourself, there wasn't much guidance or criticising technique. They didn't want to mess up the Olympic champion is what I felt. They were trying to do what they wanted to do, not what's good for me."
The decision to leave became clearer during the Irish Open in Bangor earlier this month. Wiffen won three gold medals, taking the 800m freestyle, the 400m, and the 1500m. But the times told a different story. He had targeted 7 minutes 42 seconds in the 800m and finished at 7:58.08. His 1500m performance, he said, was "confirmation in my head that I wasn't in the shape I wanted to be in."
"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," he said. "I wasn't doing the right type of work I used to do."
Wiffen had actually been weighing the Dublin option before the Irish Open even began, having discussed a contingency plan with Andy Reid, Swim Ireland's National Performance Director, when Reid first took the role. That conversation became action quickly. Within two weeks of arriving in Dublin, Wiffen was training at the national centre. His former Loughborough coach Andi Manley is also providing input remotely.
"I'm looking at it as a permanent move," Wiffen said. "I thought California was a permanent move, but that didn't work out. This is the plan to stay here until LA."
He says he already feels the difference. "I feel a lot fitter" since beginning training in Dublin, he said, adding that the setup is "an improved version of Paris," a reference to his preparation for the Games where he won gold.
The summer ahead is a full one. Wiffen has the Commonwealth Games and European Championships on his schedule, with two benchmark meets before those competitions to assess where his fitness stands.
"I don't know how fast I'm going to be in the summer," he said, "but I have two benchmark meets before that I can compare to other years. I need to see how those go and how the training works."
