Olympic Gold Medalist Daniel Wiffen Reveals He Will Train at Cal
Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen will be joining his brother in Northern California, according to a post by the Irishman on social media. While his twin, Nathan Wiffen, will compete for Cal-Berkeley at the NCAA level, Daniel Wiffen will train with Cal’s pro group for various stints. Wiffen recently announced he was leaving Loughborough University, where he trained for five years and developed into one of the premier distance freestylers in the world.
Wiffen recently endured appendicitis, a medical issue that hampered his appearance at the recent World Championships in Singapore. At Worlds, Wiffen was 16th in the 400 freestyle and eighth in the 800 freestyle before withdrawing from the 1500 freestyle. Wiffen noted he will recover from his appendicits surgery in Ireland, then head to California for the first of his training blocks with Cal.
“When I joined Loughborough, I went in with personal bests of 8:13 and 15:39 and now I’m leaving with personal bests of 7:38 and 14:34,” Wiffen wrote on social media. “I just wanted to show this as this programme made me the athlete I am today and I’m sure it will continue to make new Olympic champions long after I’m gone.”
Wiffen was the gold medalist in the 800 freestyle at last summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, where he also claimed a bronze medal. Last year also brought gold medals in the 800 freestyle and 1500 freestyle at the World Short Course Championships.
The day has finally come – I have decided that I am moving away from Loughborough university swim programme. A place I called home for 5 years. A place where I grew from a swimmer that would never make it, to an Olympic champion.
When I joined Loughborough I went in with… pic.twitter.com/Fein3pNzwa
— Daniel Wiffen (@WiffenDaniel) August 7, 2025