Dearing set to make history with Olympic qualification

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alice dearing

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ's Alice Dearing is set to make history by becoming the first black British woman to qualify for an Olympic swimming event. Image: Still Sport Photography.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Swimming’s Alice Dearing is set to make history by becoming the first black British woman to qualify for an Olympic swimming event.

Dearing’s fourth-place finish in the Tokyo 2020 marathon swimming qualification race in Setubal, Portugal, looks to be enough to see the 24-year-old secure her place in Japan.

Following the result, Dearing will now be nominated for a place in the Team GB squad for the Games, which is likely to be ratified by the British Olympic Association in the coming days.

Dearing completed the 10km course in two hours two minutes one second.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ swimming will be well represented at the Olympic and Paralympic Games with several of its athletes set to appear on the world stage.

Tokyo-bound Louise Hansson (Sweden), Marie Wattel (France), Felix Auböck (Austria), Andreas Vazaios (Greece), Daniel Wiffen (Ireland), Danilo Rosafio (Kenya), and Vladyslava Kravchenko (Malta) have all come through the pathway at the University.

They will be joined by current students Abbie Wood (Team GB), Joe Litchfield (Team GB), and Luke Greenbank (Team GB).

Also on the plane will be alumni Sarah Vasey (Team GB), and James Wilby (Team GB), alongside fellow º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ-linked Team GB swimmers Adam Peaty, Max Litchfield, Molly Renshaw, and Anna Hopkin.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics take place between 23 July 2021 – 8 August 2021 and the Paralympic Games will be between 24 August 2021 – 5 September 2021.