Brendan O'Connor
Daniel Wiffen: “I’ll never replicate the joy of a really tough training session”
20 Jun 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: Who is Daniel Wiffen and what are his achievements?
Now, my next guest today is quite simply the most successful Irish male swimmer ever, Olympic champion Daniel Whiffen. You're very welcome. Oh, thank you for having me. And of course, you're also a European champion, a world champion. Like, you're not even 25 yet, are you? No. And you've had this extraordinary career.
And you've chosen for us today five songs that have soundtracked that career and your life. You're big into your music, aren't you?
I am, yeah. I actually was playing these five songs to other people. They were like, why have you chosen these songs? And I was like, no, you'll understand. But no, I do. Obviously, music's a massive part of racing. You're walking out before a race, you're listening to get you in the right mood. So that's kind of where it comes in my life.
Chapter 2: How does music influence Daniel's training and competitions?
So what kind of kid were you? Were you always very confident and driven?
I would say as long as I can remember, I've been very confident. I think my parents would always say, I was always running around the house saying I want to become an Olympian. And, you know, I think that's just come all the way through what I've been doing in the pool so far.
Yeah. Were you born that way, do you reckon? Yeah.
I think you have to be born that kind of way. I don't think it really comes like as you grow up. I think you have to be born with it.
And when did swimming then start becoming the focus of your life?
Well, I started swimming when I was seven and then I started like actually taking it like passively when I was 12. So I guess from 12 onwards was when I started properly training. And then when I guess when you go to university around 18, you like decide then I am going to take it seriously. Okay.
But even from 12 in those teenage years, does it become quite all consuming? Like it's getting up early and hours in the pool and all that, isn't it?
Yeah, honestly, from 12 years old, it's kind of a full on schedule. Like you're getting up at 5am to go training before school, a lot of parent involvement. And I guess it becomes the sport, well, it's the only sport you can kind of do because of the time it takes out of your life.
Yeah, all other sports fall away.
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Chapter 3: What was Daniel's childhood like and when did he start swimming?
Does that set you apart from the other kids through the teenage years, like that you have this big thing going on that you're very devoted to?
I think like, to be honest, a lot of my friends are all swimmers. So everybody was kind of doing the same thing. So I didn't really know anything else other than that. In school, sure, like everybody was playing GAA. I went to St. Pat's in Armagh, so main Armagh GAA recruiting school. And it was like, everybody does that. Me and Nathan were the only two swimmers there.
And yeah, so that was kind of the difference. Like people didn't really understand what we were doing and they didn't really know swimming was even kind of a big sport. Yeah. You know, they just focus on Irish sports. But in terms of my friend group, we all swam at the same time. We all did the same sessions. So it became like a kind of a social thing for me.
Okay. So you didn't give up a lot socially in a way. You had your social thing around the swimming, yeah?
Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't be going on a night out or anything like that, like when I was in high school or going out to do anything else other than swimming. Swimming was the social event for me. I'd be chatting to my friends on poolside throughout the session. I would rarely do anything else other than swim.
Really, yeah? Yeah. Do you feel you missed out?
Nah. Nah? I think the Olympic gold medal kind of is like... Yeah. It's all right.
And, Camille, you mentioned the family there as well and lots of bringing you places and stuff. It's a family affair having elite athletes in the family, is it? The parents sacrifice a lot as well, do they?
Yeah, I mean, parents basically become an elite athlete because they're turning up at 5am and watching you swimming for two hours. And then, well, for example, my dad would drive me to training and then all the dads would do the same thing. And they'd have a little work group at the top of the pool where they'd all set their laptops.
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Chapter 4: How did Daniel balance swimming with social life during his teenage years?
I'd say, yeah. A lot of the time I do it for them. I do it for my twin brother. And obviously I do it for myself a bit too. But, you know, it is all to do with your family. They're the people that bring you to the sport. Amazing.
Okay, your first song choice today is Simple Plan, I'm Just a Kid. So explain why you chose this.
So when I was younger, I had a lot of swimming competitions on the weekend and I live in Armagh, so they're always a bit further away in Dublin or give it Limerick. And you have those long car journeys and the film that I always watched was Cheaper by the Dozen.
I love that film. A classic.
Yeah, I've seen it 50 times maybe. And that song, obviously it's one of the main songs in the film and that song just brings me back to those drives to the swimming competitions and just watching that movie on repeat. And happy times. Oh yeah, definitely happy.
Okay, here's Daniel Whiffen's first choice today. Simple Plan, I'm Just a Kid.
I woke up, it was seven. I waited till 11 just to figure out that no one would call. I think I've got a lot of friends, but I don't hear from them. What's another night all alone when you're spending every day on your own? And here it goes. I'm just a kid and life is a nightmare. I'm just a kid. I'm just a kid.
That simple plan. I'm just a kid. And that's Daniel Whiffen's first choice today, bringing him back to happy car journeys to swim meets. You mentioned there that you do it for Nathan as well. Tell me a bit about the twin thing. Like, are you and Nathan close in a way that I will never be close to another human being that I couldn't conceive of?
I'd say the closest you'd probably... I'd say my... Because I have another brother too and we wouldn't even be as close as that. I don't even know. I can't describe it because we never leave each other's side. We do everything together. We even do the same swimming competitions and the same finals together. It's all we do. Even today, he came with me today. We're just not able to be separated.
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Chapter 5: What role do Daniel's parents play in his swimming career?
So this song is played on repeat every time that I walk out for a race. So if you ever see me with headphones on, this song is going to be the song that I'm playing. And I don't know what it is. Every time I, either on a night out or, like... In a race scenario, this song just gets me in the mood. I play it before my training sessions as well. And I was actually lucky.
I went to Ibiza last summer and I met the DJs, Medusa, and they brought me VIP backstage for the song. And I enjoyed it so much. It just brings flashbacks to Paris.
Okay. Did you go large in Ibiza? Did you go wild out there?
I didn't go that wild, to be honest. I was still in bed by 3 a.m., but I didn't go out every night.
Okay, here's Daniel Griffin's third choice, Medusa, Bad Memories.
One more drink, she said. I think I'm losing my head now. Tonight we'll make bad memories. One more drink, she said. We know there's no turning back now.
We love to make bad memories. One more drink, she said. I think I'm losing my head now. Tonight we'll make bad memories. One more drink, she said. We know there's no turning back now. We love to make...
Medusa, Bad Memories, and that is Daniel Whiffen's walkout song. What is it about it?
I think it's like the BPM of the beats in it. Like it gets your heart rate going for me. And that song is like, because obviously before a race, you need to be like hyped up, ready. Because there's a lot of pain that you have to go through. And that song just kind of gets you ready for it.
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