David Levecq

Started: He took up swimming at age 10 in Burjassot, Spain, and began competing in Para swimming at around age 15. "As a child I did all kinds of sports, but they wouldn't let me compete because of my ankle and when I was 10, I started swimming and training at the club in Burjassot, competing with able-bodied swimmers until I was 15. At that age someone saw me in a competition and asked me if I wanted to compete in the S10 Para swimming category." (sportlife.es, 09 Mar 2021; Athlete, 12 Jul 2015, 26 Aug 2024; cac.drac.com, 21 Jul 2011) Reason: He was introduced to Para sport by his sister, who knew Spanish Para swimmer and Para cyclist Ricardo Ten. "I liked all sports, but my parents advised me to take up swimming because of my foot." (Athlete, 10 Sep 2019; lasprovincias.es, 03 May 2021) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. Away from competing, he aspires to become a sports psychologist. (proyectofer.es, 11 Feb 2022; asprovincias.es, 03 May 2021; sportlife.es, 09 Mar 2021) Awards: In 2004 he received an acknowledgement medal from the government of the Valencia autonomous community in Spain. (presidencia.gva.es, 09 Oct 2023) Additional Info: COACHING He works as a part-time coach at Cerdanyola Triathlon Club in Spain. "I finish the week exhausted, but I can balance it well and I like it. I train children, adolescents and some adults. Passing the passion for sports on to kids is something that I love." (X profile, 29 Apr 2022; lasprovincias.es, 03 May 2021; sportlife.es, 09 Mar 2021) FROM FRANCE TO SPAIN Born in Beziers, France, at age three he and his family moved to Valencia, Spain. (proyectofer.es, 09 Apr 2019) FURTHER STUDIES In addition to his bachelor's degree in physiotherapy, he has also studied for postgraduate qualifications in sports management and physical activity and illness at the University of Barcelona in Spain, and for a master's degree in high-performance sport through the Spanish Olympic Committee. He has also studied psychology remotely through the San Antonio Catholic University of Murcia in Spain. (Athlete, 26 Aug 2024, 10 Sep 2019; lasprovincias.es, 03 May 2021) OTHER ACTIVITIES He has run the Taronja Games, a three-day mixed sporting event for people of all ages and abilities that offers the chance to get involved in sports while raising money for charity. One of the events, a 1km open water race, is named after him. (X profile, 26 Jul 2019; yosoynoticia.es, 02 Jul 2018; superdeporte.es, 28 Jun 2017) OTHER ROLES In 2022 he was named to the athlete advisory group at World Para Swimming. (Federacion Espanola Feddf Facebook page, 20 Jun 2022)