Nescot student represents Britain in world swimming championship

A Nescot student represented the country at an international swimming competition in Portugal last week, winning a special award for his ‘grit and determination’.

Conor Macauley-Conway, who studies Level 2 Uniformed Public Services, competed in five events at the Down Syndrome World Swimming Championships.

He didn’t win an individual medal, but Team GB are the overall champions after winning 50 medals, including 18 gold, 22 silver and 10 bronze.

Conor, who celebrated his 20^th birthday just before travelling to Portugal, enjoyed supporting his teammates as they competed, and was given a special achievement award by the head coach for his 1500m freestyle.

He now has four weeks to prepare for the British Championships, which will be held in Crawley in mid-November.

“We’re really proud of Conor’s success,” said Matt Lavallin, Head of Sport, Public Services and Travel and Tourism at Nescot.

“International competitions are an incredible experience, and we will give Conor all the support we can as he looks ahead to his next championship event.”

Conor competed in the 1500m, the 800m, the 200m, the 100m and the 50m events in Portugal, and he said he enjoys the variety of the endurance and the sprint events.

He also plays football for the Fulham FC Foundation, and has taken part in 57 Parkrun events.

In March this year he raised more than £3,000 for Down Syndrome Swimming Great Britain by swimming the equivalent distance of the Channel over three weeks, ending on World Down Syndrome Day.

He also won two bronze medals in the European swimming championships last year, and gold in the Special Olympics in 2019. 

Conor joined Nescot in the Foundation Learning department, progressing to Level 1 in Sport last year before joining the Level 2 Uniformed Public Services course in September.

Nescot offers Sport and Uniformed Public Services qualifications for school leavers as well as university-level study. You can find out more on our website.