Who is Eva Okaro? Team GB swimmer makes Olympics history in the pool
Okaro became Team GB’s first Black female swimmer in the pool on the opening day of the Games
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Great Britain’s Eva Okaro made history on the opening day of the Olympics swimming competition as she became Team GB’s first Black female swimmer in the pool.
Okaro was part of Team GB’s women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team that safely progressed to tonight’s final in Paris after finishing second in their heat this morning.
Okaro, 17, is the first Black female to represent Team GB in the pool after Alice Dearing competing in the open-water event in Tokyo three years ago.
From Sevenoaks, Okaro grew up swimming with her twin sister Izabella and booked a place at the Olympics with her performances at the GB Swimming Championships.
"I think it’s an honour and privilege to be in this position and to inspire other young black swimmers to know they can make it all the way,” she said.
“Growing up I didn’t see many other black swimmers in the pool, obviously I had my sister (Izabella) there, but it has changed slightly now."
Along with Anna Hopkin, Lucy Hope and Freya Anderson, Okaro will be part of the women’s 4x100m freestyle team that goes for a medal in Saturday’s final in Paris.
The team qualified seventh overall, with Australia, the United States and China offering strong competition after finishing as the top three in the heats.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments