Daniel Wiffen splits with coach and set to return to Ireland as main base
Manley, Loughborough University's director of swimming, coached Wiffen to success like his gold medal in the 800m freestyle and bronze in the 1500m freestyle at last summer's Paris Olympics as well as his double gold medals at last year's World Championships. With his twin Nathan set to move to the University of California in the autumn, Wiffen plans on spending training camps stateside as part of his prep for LA '28.
'I'm definitely moving back to Ireland as my main training base. 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,' Wiffen (23) confirmed yesterday. '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 programme, 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 programme isn't probably the best place for me at this point in my career.'
Wiffen says his time with Manley has finished on amicable terms.
'We're really good friends, we chat all the time. 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.'
Meanwhile, Wiffen says he never experienced bullying and was not directly coached by Jon Rudd, the former national performance director for Swim Ireland. In a BBC Panorama programme broadcast last month, Rudd was accused of bullying, a toxic training environment and weight shaming by 12 swimmers he previously coached in Plymouth, England before he joined Swim Ireland in 2017.
A statement issued by Swim Ireland last month said there was 'no suggestion or indication of welfare issues' during Rudd's eight-year term with Swim Ireland. The Englishman had stepped down from his role with Swim Ireland earlier last month to take up a new position with Saudi Arabia.
Wiffen was never coached by Rudd.
'For me with Swim Ireland, and with Jon, it's all about the high performance mindset we've got and honestly I've only got good things to say about Swim Ireland and how they supported me,' Wiffen said. 'Jon was obviously not a performance director for me, he wasn't my coach, so I've only got high performance questions to answer. He just answered emails for me and was never on poolside coaching so I would have no idea.'
Did Wiffen ever experience bullying or any of the issues raised in the BBC programme?
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'No,' Wiffen replied.
Wiffen has a hat-trick of targets at next month's World Aquatic Championships in Singapore. He will defend the gold medals he won in the 800m and 1,500m freestyle in Doha in February 2024 and will also compete in the 400m freestyle.
'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. 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.'
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Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Daniel Wiffen splits with coach and set to return to Ireland as main base
Manley, Loughborough University's director of swimming, coached Wiffen to success like his gold medal in the 800m freestyle and bronze in the 1500m freestyle at last summer's Paris Olympics as well as his double gold medals at last year's World Championships. With his twin Nathan set to move to the University of California in the autumn, Wiffen plans on spending training camps stateside as part of his prep for LA '28. 'I'm definitely moving back to Ireland as my main training base. 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,' Wiffen (23) confirmed yesterday. '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 programme, 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 programme isn't probably the best place for me at this point in my career.' Wiffen says his time with Manley has finished on amicable terms. 'We're really good friends, we chat all the time. 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.' Meanwhile, Wiffen says he never experienced bullying and was not directly coached by Jon Rudd, the former national performance director for Swim Ireland. In a BBC Panorama programme broadcast last month, Rudd was accused of bullying, a toxic training environment and weight shaming by 12 swimmers he previously coached in Plymouth, England before he joined Swim Ireland in 2017. A statement issued by Swim Ireland last month said there was 'no suggestion or indication of welfare issues' during Rudd's eight-year term with Swim Ireland. The Englishman had stepped down from his role with Swim Ireland earlier last month to take up a new position with Saudi Arabia. Wiffen was never coached by Rudd. 'For me with Swim Ireland, and with Jon, it's all about the high performance mindset we've got and honestly I've only got good things to say about Swim Ireland and how they supported me,' Wiffen said. 'Jon was obviously not a performance director for me, he wasn't my coach, so I've only got high performance questions to answer. He just answered emails for me and was never on poolside coaching so I would have no idea.' Did Wiffen ever experience bullying or any of the issues raised in the BBC programme? ADVERTISEMENT 'No,' Wiffen replied. Wiffen has a hat-trick of targets at next month's World Aquatic Championships in Singapore. He will defend the gold medals he won in the 800m and 1,500m freestyle in Doha in February 2024 and will also compete in the 400m freestyle. '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. 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.'
Irish Examiner
7 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Sharing his journey on YouTube comes with pros and cons for Daniel Wiffen
It won't be long coming around, a date that has such special resonance for Daniel Wiffen – July 30. That was when he etched his name into Olympic history with his 800m freestyle gold in Paris last year, and it's also the date of the 800m final at this year's World Championships in Singapore. So, some sweet synchronicity? Wiffen hopes so. The Magheralin native, who turns 24 next month, will contest the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle in Singapore and he has a straightforward goal: 'To come away with at least one gold medal.' Wiffen has never been shy about calling his shot and few Olympic champions are as open about their routine, documenting his training on YouTube over the past several years. Isn't he worried about giving his rivals an edge? 'Maybe it's not the best idea to show everything you do when you are training for Olympic gold, but I'm not just here to swim for myself,' he says. 'We're trying to inspire a new generation of swimmers.' Wiffen notes that as a kid, he struggled to find much insight into how champions operated and he wants to document his path for the next generation. 'Being open about different attributes that I do differently to everybody else comes with its weaknesses,' he admits. 'But I know in my head that I'm the number one athlete in the world. I know people can't do what I do and even my competitors can't do it, otherwise I wouldn't be winning. So that's why I'm happy to share it.' Ever since slicing through the pool at La Défense Arena last July, Wiffen has seen the ripples of his achievement spread far and wide. 'I get a lot of messages about people saying they turn up every morning to swim because they watched my race in Paris, it makes it a lot more motivational for me. When I see a lot of the population getting in, going for a swim, that makes me want to keep striving for better to see more and more people (swimming).' Before his final training camp in Malaysia in mid-July, Wiffen will be at his usual base at Loughborough University, where he and coach Andi Manley are fastidious in their search for fractions. Having studied computer science, Wiffen loves to dive into the data of his sport and one metric he focused on in the last Olympic cycle was his turn time, utilising a high-tech camera system at Loughborough to optimise it. 'We went from 100th in the world at turn time to number one in the world and that is one of the attributes that helped me win. If you watch the last 100m of that 800m, it's the turn that made the difference. I made up about half a metre and then was able to carry that speed off the wall to win that Olympic gold medal.' Every Monday, Wiffen does testing to track progress in various areas and he and Manley have a meeting to plot out what they want from the week's training. 'That's where the confidence comes from, to make sure I'm going to be the best at each competition,' he says. With his studies now complete, Wiffen has more time on his hands but his daily routine is much the same. He gets up at 5:45am, has two slices of toast then hits the pool for 6.15, warming up for half an hour before doing an 8km session. After that he spends 90 minutes in the gym, followed by lunch and a nap. Then he's back to the pool at 5:30pm for two more hours of swimming. Then he has dinner and is in bed at 9pm. 'I never get sick of (the routine) because I've done it for so many years and I enjoy it so much,' he says. Even when his head hits the pillow, the preparation goes on. 'I dream about the race, I dream of scenarios that are going to happen.' One of his visualisation techniques is to submerge himself in water and go through the race in his mind as a friend times him. 'I always come up at the right time. If it's 54 seconds for the 100m, I come up with 54 seconds on the stopwatch. Over the years the visualisation piece gets stronger and stronger (so) you're able to pinpoint what is going to happen in the race, and 99% of the time what I visualise is what happens.' After a well-earned break following the Olympics, he resumed training last December and says things have gone 'quite well' since. He's confident of launching a stout defence of his 800m and 1500m world titles in Singapore. 'I'm sitting second and third on the rankings so we're in with a shot for this gold medal,' he says. 'And I'm ready to produce a swim for it.'
The Irish Sun
12 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
‘A little update' – Sharlene Mawdsley reveals major ‘last minute decision' as she confirms return following dad's death
SHARLENE MAWDSLEY has confirmed her return for Ireland after taking time away following her dad's death. in Philadelphia at the start of June. Advertisement 2 Sharlene Mawdsley confirmed her involvement in the European Athletics Team Championships Credit: Nikola Krstic/Sportsfile 2 It marks her return following her dad's death Her dad Thomas star taking time to mourn before returning to training. And on Monday, the Slovenia this weekend. She said: "Happy Olympic day. "A last minute decision but I'll be stepping into the Irish kit again this weekend for the European team championships." Advertisement Read More on Sharlene Mawdsley Mawdsley has been confirmed for the 4x400m mixed relay, with Cillin Greene, Ciaran Carthy, Sophie Becker, and Callum Baird completing the Irish line-up. And fans on One said: "Delighted to see this, give the heavens something to smile about" while a second said: "Ur father be proud" A third hailed: "Great to see you back training. It's been a very tough few weeks" Advertisement Most read in Athletics Mawdsley has become one of Ireland's brightest sports stars in recent years. Sharlene Mawdsley shows off makeup before Zagreb race She The Newport AC export followed that with a promising performance at the Paris Olympics that saw her Advertisement During her dad's funeral, Sharlene credited her ability to achieve her dreams on the track to her dad's unwavering support and belief in his daughter. She said: "He made me trust that my dreams were never too big and, for that, some of my dreams have already come true. "The best part is I got to share them with you, Dad." BACK IN ACTION Mawdsley has had plenty of help getting into racing shape from her GAA star boyfriend Michael Breen. Advertisement Breen, who is a senior hurler with Tipperary, joked he was University of Limerick has been her training base in recent weeks, with The 400m specialist was in decent form coming out of Philadelphia, In addition to that showing on the Sunday at the big-money Grand Slam Track event, she also came sixth in the long sprints category 24 hours previous. Advertisement For that performance, she banked $15,000 with Olympic 400m gold medallist Marileidy Paulino coming out on top. Mawdsley wound up in fifth place. Once again, she clocked a season's-best time in that race at 51.12.
