Swim triumph for Almondbury's Joanne Kempley in Taiwan championships

Oct 26 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

ALMONDBURY girl Joanne Kempley is on top of the world.

The 20-year-old is back at home with a clutch of medals from the Downs Syndrome World Swimming Championships in Taiwan.

She also returned from an exciting trip with a handful of personal best times.

And she’s got a boyfriend!

“His name’s Ben and he’s a swimmer like me”, said Joanne.

“He’s also a footballer and lives near York and he, too, did very well as well in the competition.”

It all added up to a wonderful achievement for Joanne, who swims with the Borough of Kirklees Swimming Club and works as an actor with the much-acclaimed Full Body and The Voice theatre company in Huddersfield.

She is also a student at Kirklees College.

It was also a great trip for her mum, Christine, who was there to watch Joanne compete in Taipei, along with her swimming coach Gemma Ripley.

Gemma, who also has a post with the Great Britain squad, said: “Joanne shocked us all by the amazing swimming and commitment to the event.

“We couldn’t have asked for any more from her.”