Great Welcome For Luke After Performances At World Para Swimming Euro Championships

AFTER great performances in the 2026 World Para Swimming European Championships in Turkey earlier this month, Luke O’Donoghue received a wonderful welcome home to Tralee on Thursday evening.

Members of Kingdom Swimming Club gathered at Tralee Sports Complex to honour Luke who travelled with the Irish team and made the final of the Open S9 100m Backstroke on September 12, attaining personal bests in both the heat and final.

“It was a really good experience, different to competitions I had taken part in before. Being able to experience it with such a great team was really good,” said the 17 year old from Clogherbrien who is in sixth year in Mercy Mounthawk.

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Luke has put in phenomenal work over the years, beginning swimming since he was five and then joining Kingdom Swimming Club by the time he was 10. He’s been training with the seniors in the club under Ger McDonnell for over three years now.

“Luke is a high achiever who does everything right,” said Ger. “He’s done the club and his family very proud, We’re hoping for bigger and better things from him in the future. He’s a very well-rounded young man and if he keeps doing the right things he’ll achieve what he sets out to do.”

“It’s a testament to his — and the club’s work — in getting Luke to such a high standard in his first senior international,” added Ger.

“To make a European Final is a great achievement. He was racing a lot of people older and more experienced than him and to achieve a personal best in the heat, which enabled him to get to the final, was huge.”

The next goal for Luke is to make the team for the Paralympics in Los Angeles in 2028 and he’ll have no shortage of support from Kingdom Swimming Club to help him achieve this aim!