Eva Okaro (born 10 November 2006) is a British swimmer.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 November 2006[1] |
| Education | Repton School |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Strokes | Freestyle |
Early life
editFrom Kent, Eva and her twin sister Izabelle are both members of Sevenoaks Swimming Club.[2] Previously, they were part of the Black Lions Swimming Club in Medway.[3][4] She is coached by Ash Morris at Repton School, in Derbyshire.[4][5]
Career
editShe won the 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly events at the Winter Regionals in November 2019. Subsequently, she competed at the EURO Meet in Luxembourg in January 2020, representing the Swim England South East team in the 100m backstroke, 50m and 100m butterfly, 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle, as well as the 4 x 100m freestyle relay. She won gold in the relay and silver in the 50m butterfly, 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle.[6]
When she was 14 year-old she won a 50m Freestyle bronze medal at the 2021 European Junior Swimming Championships in Rome, and won silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay. In so doing, she set a British age record with her time of 55.36sec, which was 1.4sec faster than the previous best, set by Fran Halsall.[3] Following that she joined elite training weekends with the Britain senior team at the Loughborough Performance Centre.[3]
In July 2022, she won the 50m freestyle and the 100m freestyle at the U16 British National Championships.[7]
In December 2023, she participated in the Ontario Junior International and was part of the mixed 50m Freestyle team that won gold and came inside the world junior record time. She also won the gold medal in the women's 4x100m freestyle and won gold in the 4x100m mixed medley, which set a new European junior record time. She also set a new British junior record in the heats for the 50m freestyle.[8]
In March 2024, she set a new personal best winning the 100m freestyle at the 2024 City of Sheffield Premier Meet.[9]
In April 2024, Okaro finished second behind Anna Hopkin in the 50m and 100m freestyle at the British Championships and Paris trials in London. Subsequently, she was selected as part of the 2024 British Olympic team to participate in the 50m and 100m freestyle events, as well as the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay.[4][10][11]
Personal life
editHer father, Abuchi, is Nigerian and mother, Helena, is Polish.[3][4]
References
edit- ^ "Eva Okaro". The-sports.org. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "Sevenoaks swimmer Eva Okaro set to make history as first black woman to swim for Team GB in pool at an Olympic Games". Kentonline. 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d Lord, Craig (5 October 2022). "Black history in the making: Eva Okaro". The Times. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d Lord, Craig (16 April 2024). "Eva Okaro will be first black woman to swim in pool at Olympics for Team GB". The Times. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "REPTON SCHOOL SWIMMER SELECTED FOR PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES". Repton.org. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Rowley, Steve (7 February 2020). "Icing on cake for Sevenoaks swimmer Eva Okaro". Localsportsnews. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "EVA OKARO TAKES ANOTHER WIN AT BRITISH SUMMER CHAMPIONSHIPS". Swimswam. 26 July 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "Future stars smash junior records in Ontario to round out successful 2023". Seimming.org. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "COHOON & OKARO CRACK SPRINT FREESTYLE BARRIERS AT CITY OF SHEFFIELD MEET". Swimswam.com. 11 March 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "Eva Okaro becomes first black female swimmer to compete for Great Britain in pool at Olympics". ITV.com. 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "'Exciting' Team GB swimming team named for Paris 2024 Olympic Games". Swimming.org. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.