By Lorraine Murphy
On March 19, two champion swimmers will travel from Mullingar to the World Down Syndrome Swimming Games in Turkey to defend their European titles, and maybe bag some world medals into the bargain. Fresh from a 6.00am session with Mullingar Jets Swimming Club, best friends David Hogg (21) and Kevin Kennedy (24) took time out of their busy schedules to talk to Topic about their friendship, aspirations and the upcoming games.
Preparation for the 2024 games in Antalya, Turkey started a long time ago for David. “I’ve been swimming since I was one and a half; nearly 20 years,” he said. “I came fifth in the worlds in Portugal (2022) so I know the games well. Preparation has been going good, I’m doing a lot of training – ten hours in the pool, gym sessions and extra swimming sessions too. My best stroke is the breaststroke, I really love that, and I’m in the relay team. I’ve always loved swimming and am proud to represent Ireland at the World Games.”
