Honorary degree for Paralympic hero Bethany Firth

Four-time Paralympic gold medallist Bethany Firth MBE picked up another title yesterday when she received an honorary doctorate for distinction in sport at Queen's University.
By The Newsroom
Published 3rd Jul 2017, 19:03 BST
Updated 18th Jul 2017, 08:28 BST
Northern Ireland's four-time Paralympic gold medallist Bethany Firth MBE was awarded with an honorary degree at Queen's University Belfast on Monday. Photo by Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker PressNorthern Ireland's four-time Paralympic gold medallist Bethany Firth MBE was awarded with an honorary degree at Queen's University Belfast on Monday. Photo by Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press
Northern Ireland's four-time Paralympic gold medallist Bethany Firth MBE was awarded with an honorary degree at Queen's University Belfast on Monday. Photo by Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press

The swimmer from Seaforde in County Down who has a learning difficulty that causes short term memory loss said it was an honour to share the days with fellow graduates.

The Paralympic swimmer, who has competed for Great Britain and Ireland since 2012, has had success in the London Paralympic Games, Rio Paralympic Games and the Commonwealth Games, winning four gold and six silver medals to date.

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She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to swimming. When she is not training and travelling to competitions, Bethany enjoys spending time with her family and her dog, miniature Yorkshire terrier, Russell.

Offering advice to her fellow graduates, she said: “You can achieve anything that you want if you put your mind to it. I really believe that and I hope that my fellow graduates today achieve everything they have dreamed of.”

She added: “It’s quite an honour to receive an Honorary Doctorate from Queen’s University Belfast.”