19 October 2017
Next week the Down Syndrome Swimming GB team is taking a group of 30 swimmers to Paris to compete in the DSISO European Championships 2017 (Oct 28-Nov 4).
We’d like to wish them all LOTS of luck and hope they all have a wonderful experience.
We’re very grateful to Ellen and Zac, two members of the team, for answering our questions about their swimming achievements:
Meet Ellen…
How old are you? 13.
Who do you live with? My Mum and Dad. I have a sister and 2 brothers but they are at university.
What do you like the best about swimming? I like keeping fit and meeting new people. When you are part of a team you are friendly with everybody in the team.
Have you won any medals for swimming? I have won quite a few medals in swimming, both in regional and national championships. The latest was last week I won a gold medal in the North East regional para-swimming for 200m Freestyle. I have 12 Mosaic Down Syndrome junior world records. I have won a local Rising Star of Sport award and North East Disability Young Achiever Sports Award.
When you are not training do you have any hobbies? Listening to music, watching You Tube, playing my Wii, cooking.
Anything else you would like to say? I really enjoy swimming I travel all over the country meeting new people. It’s also great on holiday to be able to swim in the sea and mess about with my sister and brothers in the pool. It’s a great sport to get involved with.
Meet Zac…
How old are you? 17
Who do you live with? Dad, Mum, Sister and Brother
What do you like best about swimming? Training hard and winning medals. I also like meeting new people at competitions from different countries.
Have you won medals for swimming? I have won lots of medals although my best medal was a bronze in the relay team at the World Championships in Florence, Italy.
When you’re not training, do you have any hobbies you enjoy? Football, Cricket, X Box and Cooking.
Anything else you would like to say? I broke many European and world records at Junior level and now I want to do the same at Senior level. Swimming is really good fitness for people with Down’s syndrome and swimming for my club and Team GB has let me make new friends all over Great Britain and the World. I have great support from my local community and have won several Sports Achievement awards and two local primary schools have named a class after me in recognition of my achievements.