He attended the Abbey Christian Brothers' Grammar School in Newry, Northern Ireland, refining his sporting abilities and further realising his potential in swimming.

McGivern soon joined Newry & Mourne ASC Swimming Club and competed at district, county and regional levels, including various open meets throughout the year.

He soon joined Newry & Mourne ASC Swimming Club to develop his talent and as his love for the sport grew, he dedicated more and more time to training, and set a goal to one day compete in the Paralympic Games.

McGivern was the fourth fastest qualifier going into the final, having swum a time of 1.06.18 in the heat (close to his previous best of 1:05.35 which he swam at the Paralympic Games in London in 2012, in eighth place).

He then went on to swim a personal best time of 1.04.75 in the final, finishing ahead of Paralympic Games bronze medallist Xiaobing Liu of China and Australia's Brenden Hall and claiming his first major international medal.