Paris Olympic gold medalist and current world record holder Daniel Wiffen is making a coaching change.
Wiffen is moving on from his longtime coach, Andi Manley, and returning to train in Ireland in the lead-up to the 2028 Olympic Games, as first reported by The Irish Independent.
Wiffen has been working with Manley for the last five years at Loughborough University in England, but now that he’s completed his studies at the school, he thought the time was right to make a move and re-base himself in his home nation, though he’s yet to decide on a new coach.
The 23-year-old will also be spending some time training at the University of California, which he has done in the past, with twin brother Nathan Wiffen set to join the Golden Bears in the NCAA this fall.
Daniel has previously said he’s considered joining Cal.
“I’m definitely moving back to Ireland as my main training base,” Wiffen said, according to The Irish Independent. “And I will be doing stints in America because the Olympics are going to be there so you have to get ready for that way of life, that time zone.
“Main training base will be Ireland, where the coaching and sports science will be and then I’ll do extended training camps in different places around the world.
“It’s going to be hard. I only decided four weeks ago that I was going to be leaving Loughborough, maybe actually two weeks ago we had the conversation. [Manley] thinks it’s beneficial for my career that I need a new start because being in a university program, you get 18-year-olds, 17-year-olds coming in every year who are a lot lower level than what I am at this point in my career and you want to strive to be better than the people.
“It’s trying to progress in other areas, and a university program is probably not the best place for me at this point in my career.”
Wiffen added that he and Manley remain on good terms.
“We’re really good friends, we chat all the time,” Wiffen said. “He wants what’s best for me, he’s not a selfish coach, he’s not going to tell me to stay just for his own benefit.”
Wiffen and Manley formally started working together in 2020, which led up to the Irishman’s first Olympic appearance in 2021, placing 14th in the men’s 800 free (7:51.65) and 20th in the 1500 free in Tokyo—both personal bests at the time.
Wiffen picked up his first major international medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, earning silver in the men’s 1500 free, and then really started making some noise as a potential Olympic/World title threat in 2023, becoming the fourth-fastest performer in history in the 1500 free (14:34.91) at the Swim Open Stockholm.
He went on to place 4th in the 800 free (7:39.19) and 1500 free (14:43.01) at the 2023 World Championships, and then closed out the year by breaking Grant Hackett‘s 15-year-old SCM 800 free world record at the European Short Course Championships in a time of 7:20.46. That swim came as part of a distance sweep for Wiffen, also topping the 400 (3:35.47) and 1500 free (14:09.11) fields.
In 2024, Wiffen opened the year by winning double gold in the men’s 800 free (7:40.94) and 1500 free (14:34.07) at the World Championships in Doha, resetting his Irish Record in the latter to rank #5 all-time, and then followed up by winning Olympic gold in the 800 free (7:38.19) and bronze in the 1500 free (14:39.63) at the 2024 Games in Paris. That swim in the 800 free marked a new Olympic and European Record, though Germany’s Sven Schwarz (7:38.12) has since lowered the European mark.
Heading into the 2025 World Championships, Wiffen will be defending his titles in the 800 and 1500 free, and says his aim is to repeat in both while also he’s gunning for the 400 free, though he acknowledges that’ll be his toughest test.
“I’ve been told a couple of times by a lot of different world champions that apparently the hardest world championships to win is the one after winning the Olympics,” Wiffen said. “I’m up for the challenge. Obviously my goal is to stay undefeated in the 800m. I haven’t lost in the 800m freestyle since 2023. For me, that’s the goal, just to keep undefeated and win another gold medal.
“I would say we’re aiming for three gold medals. 400m is maybe a bit of a stretch because it’s a new event, but definitely two.”
I’m not sure that the level will be higher in Ireland than Loughborough, but good luck to him.
I agree. From my understanding, Loughborough only allows current students to train with the university squads whilst he’s also unable to train with the national squads based there due to his nationality.
It feels like the move is forced now that he has completed his studies.