Repton swimmer makes history after being selected for Olympics

A pupil at Repton School has made history after being selected for Team GB’s swimming team at this summer’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Eva Okaro, 17, will be the first ever swimmer to compete at the Olympics while still studying at Repton.

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 a silver medal, behind 28-year-old Olympic and World medallist, Anna Hopkin.

Eva 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, Eva won gold in the 4x100m Freestyle at the Ontario Junior International and set a new European Junior record time in the 4x100m Mixed Medley.

She has previously represented Great Britain and England at junior level, at several international meets.

Ash Morris, Repton’s director of swimming, said: “This is a proud moment for Repton – Eva is the first ever 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.”

Repton has a long history with the Olympics and many alumni have gone on to compete in the Games.

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. Georgie Twigg won a bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics and gold in the 2016 Rio games, alongside Repton alumna Shona McCallin. Shona also won bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Games alongside Leah Wilkinson.