History-making Okaro has a golden opportunity
Sevenoaks swimmer Eva Okaro is set to create history when she makes her Olympic debut this summer after being selected to represent Team GB in Paris.
Okaro, who trains in Repton, will be the first black woman to swim for Team GB in the pool, following in the footsteps of open-water swimmer Alice Dearing, who blazed a trail at Tokyo 2020.
The 17-year-old is part of a 33strong team that will represent Great Britain across pool and marathon swimming during the Games, with action getting under way in Paris on July 27 at La Defense Arena.
Team GB Chef de Mission Mark England said: “Team GB has a proud tradition in Olympic swimming competitions, and I am delighted to welcome all 33 athletes to the team for Paris 2024.
“The strength and depth of our pool swimming team was evident to see at the recent Aquatics GB Swimming Championships. I have no doubt the thrilling races we saw at the British Championships last week will be equally close fought.
“We’re excited to watch them all compete against the best in the world.”
Okaro will be among the youngest to take to the pool for Team GB but has no shortage of pedigree having set British records since the age of 14.
The teenager grew up swimming with twin sister Izabella and found her affinity for the pool at Sevenoaks Swimming Club before being called up to join the British senior team in Loughborough.
Okaro finished second in the women’s 50m freestyle at the 2024 Aquatics GB Swimming Championships behind Anna Hopkin to qualify for Paris. Aquatics GB Performance Director Chris Spice said: “This is such an exciting group of athletes that we will be taking to Paris this summer.
"On top of some outstanding individual swims, the collective displays showed that we are in a really good place across multiple relay events, which has been a key focus for us over recent years - and the depth that this team possesses is fantastic.
“We cannot wait to see how this team comes together with the aim of swimming faster in the summer. We know each and every athlete can do that, and that would put us in a very good place in Paris, where we are relishing having packed crowds and plenty of British support roaring us on.”
Three-time Olympic champion Adam Peaty is set to headline British efforts in the pool in Paris and both Peaty and Okaro will benefit from Aldi’s Nearest & Dearest programme.
It will help maximise support and minimise potential distractions for athletes so that they can focus on performance and make the most of the unique opportunity to compete on one of the world’s largest stages.