Bexhill Swimming Club’s Gabriel wins SEVEN golds at British Down Syndrome Swimming Championships 2022

More than 135 swimmers from across the country competed in the event, hosted by the K2 swimming pool in Crawley, and it was the biggest of its kind, with swimmers competing in four age categories, ranging from 10 to 50 years old.

Gabriel’s uccess continued as his times won him the British Champion Title in three of these events. This was the 16-year-old's first-ever competitive swimming meeting, and one he is sure to remember.

Gabriel smashed all his personal best times to achieve gold in the following events, 25m Butterfly, 25m Backstroke, 25m Breaststroke, 25m Frontcrawl, 50m Butterfly, 50m Backstroke, 50m Breaststroke and 50m Frontcrawl. He is now the 'British Champion' for 25m Backstroke, 25m Breaststroke and Butterfly in the open category across all age groups.

Alongside his close friends and family, one of his current coaches, Siobhan Moyse, from Bexhill Swimming Club, joined Gabriel for the weekend. Siobhan said: "It was incredible to see Gabriel so happy and successful! This should give him enormous confidence for the future. He joined Bexhill Swimming Club a year ago, and we are all so proud of his personal and sporting achievements; there is certainly more to come from this young man."

Gabriel has since been approached by the Great Britain coaching team, who were extremely impressed and keen to work with Gabriel in the near future. From a young age, Gabriel's parents (Rachel and Gary Kenchington) were advised to encourage Gabriel to take part in sports and activities, which would build his core stability. Swimming was the first of many sports that Gabriel enjoyed, and it helped him to gain control of his condition. Since then, swimming has been a vital part of Gabriel's life, and the future certainly looks bright for this golden swimmer.