Olympic swimmer awarded Honorary Doctorate in Ipswich
University of Suffolk recognises gold medal-winning athlete’s outstanding career
Olympic swimmer Karen Pickering MBE has described being awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Suffolk as a “huge honour”, marking a special return to the town where she trained for nearly two decades.
The ceremony took place on Monday 20th October 2025 at the University of Suffolk's campus on Ipswich waterfront. Karen, who grew up in Ipswich and trained at Crown Pools during her competitive career, was joined at the event by her twin daughters and her mum.
Karen Pickering is one of the UK’s most successful swimmers, with a career spanning four consecutive Olympic Games. She earned an MBE in 1994 for services to swimming and competed for Team Ipswich between 1997 and 2005. Pickering’s achievements include eight World Championship medals—four of them gold—alongside 14 European Championship medals, 38 National titles, and 13 Commonwealth Games medals, with four golds.
After retiring from competition, Karen became an active supporter of young athletes, running swimming schools for 10 years and contributing to athlete welfare as Chair of the British Athletes Commission and through several roles on sporting boards.
In 2013, she created the Karen Pickering SWIM Foundation, which helps children access swimming lessons through bursaries. From next year, she will also serve as President of the English Schools Swimming Association.
Addressing University of Suffolk graduates, Karen reflected on her journey, including recovering from a broken back at age 24. She urged students to acknowledge their achievements, saying, “Sometimes you don’t realise what you have achieved, you are always looking at what you still have got to do.”
Karen Pickering joins previous honorary graduates from the University of Suffolk, including Ed Sheeran MBE, Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna, West End star Kerry Ellis, and TV presenter Angela Rippon CBE.