Daniel Wiffen Eyes Back-to-Back World Titles After Olympic Gold Success
Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen has set his sights on an ambitious goal: winning consecutive World Championship titles, a feat he believes would surpass even the glory of his historic Paris Olympic gold.
The 23-year-old Team Ireland swimmer had a phenomenal 2024, capturing both the 1500m and 800m freestyle golds at the World Championships and claiming a historic 800m Olympic gold in Paris, becoming the first athlete from Northern Ireland to achieve Olympic gold in 36 years. He also secured a bronze medal in the 1500m at the Games.
Speaking to My Newspaper Sport NI ahead of this year’s World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Wiffen acknowledged the unique challenge that comes with defending World titles. “Everyone says the hardest thing to do is to win a World Championships after an Olympics, and I’m up for the challenge,” he said. “I think winning back-to-back World Championships is going to be better than winning the Olympics for me.”
For Wiffen, the pursuit of consecutive victories is not just about titles; it’s about striving for sustained excellence. “For me, the Olympics is what everyone watches. If you can win consecutively over the next number of years, then it becomes bigger than just winning an Olympics. It becomes about how many times you can win before you lose,” he explained. “You keep striving for that excellence and that curiosity of ‘what happens if I do keep winning?’ or ‘what happens if I lose?’ drives me to push harder.”
Following the World Championships, Wiffen plans to move his training base back to Ireland after several years of studying and competing at Loughborough University. He will split his time between Dublin and the United States, where his twin Nathan will join the University of California later this year, as Daniel begins preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
This move will also mark the end of his successful partnership with coach Andi Manley. Wiffen has yet to confirm who will guide him in the next stage of his career, but for now, all his focus remains on Singapore, where he will contest the 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle events.
The 400m, in particular, holds special significance. Wiffen finished seventh in the 400m final at Doha before claiming his two World titles, a result he says “sparked something in me.” “I don’t want to come in seventh place, I want to win. I’m adding it back in, I’m going to try and better seventh place as my goal. We’ll see how it goes. I’m hoping for a medal in it,” he said.
Even though Wiffen considers the 400m a “warm-up” for his longer events, he remains committed to achieving podium success. “Sometimes you need that start-up race to have a really good race in your second one. For the 400m, it’s a warm-up race, but I will give it the credit and I am trying to win a medal,” he added.
With his Paris Olympic triumph already cemented in history, Daniel Wiffen now seeks to build a legacy of sustained dominance. Back-to-back World Championship titles would not only reinforce his status as one of Ireland’s finest swimmers but also showcase the relentless determination that has become his hallmark.
As the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore approach from 11 July to 3 August, Wiffen’s eyes are firmly set on adding more gold to his already glittering collection and inspiring the next generation of swimmers from Northern Ireland and beyond.
