History made as Eva will fly flag for Repton at Paris Olympics
EVA Okoro is the first Repton School pupil to be selected for the Olympics after being named in the Team GB swimming squad for this summer’s Games in Paris.
The 17-year-old will be one of the youngest competitors at the Games and will become the first black woman to represent Britain in the pool at the Olympics when she competes in the 4x100m freestyle.
She secured her position in the squad after competing at the Aquatics GB Championships alongside 22 other members of Repton Swimming Club.
At the beginning of the week, she set a personal best time of 24.96 in the women’s 50m freestyle to win silver behind 28-year-old Olympic and World medallist Anna Hopkin.
And she went on to win another silver in the 100m freestyle, setting a personal best of 54.46 and was within the top four finishers for the relay selection.
At the end of 2023, Okaro won gold in the 4x100m freestyle at the Ontario Junior International and set a new European junior record in the 4x100m mixed medley. She has previously represented Great Britain and England at junior level at several international meets.
Repton’s director of swimming Ash Morris said: “This is a proud moment for Repton – Eva is the first swimming pupil to qualify for an Olympic Games.
“At just 17 years old, this is a remarkable achievement and a testament to Eva’s race mindset and competitive nature. We are really proud of Eva and the environment that has been developed to support athletes to achieve their goals.”
The other Repton swimmers competing at the Aquatics GB Championships were Annabel Crees, Austyn Manley, Cameron Jamieson, Connie Palmer, Ellie Broughton, Hannah Capron, Hannah Hodgkiss, Harriet Oxley, Holly Marshall, Holly Robinson, Izabella Okaro, Jessica Smelt, Laurie Devine, Leo Pollock, Lydia Cordle, Mabli Collyer and Maddie Emment.
Manley (13) was the youngest male swimmer at the championships and set a new British Age Group record of 2:07.62 in the 200m backstroke.
Repton has a long history with the Olympics and many alumni have gone on to compete in the Games. Undoubtedly the most famous of Repton’s Olympians is Harold Abrahams, who competed in the 1920 Antwerp Games and the 1924 Paris Games, as well as captaining the British team in 1928.
In more recent times, the greatest Olympic success for Repton’s alumni has been on the hockey field.
Charlotte Craddock competed in the 2008 Beijing Games as part of the women’s hockey squad, while Georgie Twigg won bronze in the 2012 London Olympics and gold in the 2016 Rio games, alongside Repton alumna Shona McCallin.
McCallin also won bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Games alongside Leah Wilkinson.
Okaro, from Sevenoaks in Kent, is the first Reptonian to compete in the Olympics while still at the school.
She is in a squad of 33 that includes former City of Derby swimmer Adam Peaty, who will be going for gold again in Paris.
There are also places for Alfreton’s Jacob Whittle, Buxton’s Abbie
Wood and Chesterfield’s Joe Litchfield.
The Paris Olympics will be held from July
26 to August 11.