Eva Okaro has a bright future ahead of her after her Olympic debut, says fellow history-making swimmer Alice Dearing. 

Okaro became the first black British woman to compete in the pool in the Olympics, following Dearing’s lead, after she competed in open water swimming at Tokyo 2020. 

The 17-year-old from Sevenoaks helped Team GB to the final of the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay. 

“Eva is such an exciting swimmer, she is only 17 years old so is very young but has got a lot of potential, a lot of future,” Dearing said.

“She put in an amazing relay split, put in a really great time there. I am just really excited for her future; she is a great talent and has been up and coming for years.  

“It is great to see her getting a chance to race at the Olympic Games, the future is so bright for her, she will only be 21 years old in LA which is so crazy and just shows the longevity and the potential for her career.” 

Dearing was the first black British woman to compete in any swimming discipline at Tokyo 2020 before retiring ahead of Paris. 

She was speaking at a National Lottery event at Worcester Swimming Club, the former club of Matt Richards, one of Okaro’s teammates out in Paris. 

Dearing highlighted the important role clubs play in developing sporting superstars but also in opening access. 

The 27-year-old founded the Black Swimming Association in 2020 to encourage increased participation in swimming. 

She added: “This is what is so exciting about swimming, there have always been like me and Eva coming through.  

“Eva would have been the first black swimmer if it wasn’t for me in Tokyo, she was always going to qualify. 

“She is very good, and I am hoping that stories like mine, stories like her own, show people that this is a sport that we can all take part in. 

“The water doesn’t discriminate, it is a fantastic sport, there are systems in place to get people into swimming and swimming safely.  

“It is exciting to know that there is a group of us, and that one day we won’t have to have these conversations around race, that will be a thing in the past and that everyone swims. 

That is a future that I am striving for, and the Black Swimming Association is striving for, we are looking to make ourselves redundant in however many years’ times.

“There are obviously generational issues and a lot that we have to combat, but I truly think we can do it.” 

Thanks to National Lottery players our Olympic athletes are supported to live their dreams and make the nation proud. With more than £30M a week raised for Good Causes, The National Lottery has enabled Great Britain to become a global force in Aquatics and has provided more opportunities for people inspired by athletes like Matt to take part in the sport. For details visit www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk