A current Repton School pupil and two alumni will represent Great Britain (GB) in the Paris 2024 Olympics. With less than a month to go before the Games start, the British Olympic Association has named Old Reptonians (ORs) Flora Peel and Lily Walker members of the women’s hockey squad. Meanwhile, Sixth Form pupil Eva Okaro will represent GB in the pool.
Old Reptonians Join Team GB’s Women’s Hockey Squad
The 2024 Team GB women’s hockey squad boasts a wealth of Olympic experience, with seasoned athletes like Laura Roper. Statistically the greatest hockey Olympian ever produced in Britain, Roper won bronze at London 2012, gold at Rio 2016, and bronze at Tokyo 2020.
The team will also feature Wimbledon Hockey Club (HC) midfielder Flora Peel, who attended Repton from 2013 to 2015. She made her international debut with England in February 2022 and won gold with England at the Commonwealth Games that summer. She made her GB debut playing against Argentina in December 2022.
Meanwhile, Lily Walker, who attended Repton from 2018 to 2020, is a reserve for the women’s team. The 22-year-old currently plays for University of Birmingham HC. She joined the senior GB training squad in February 2022 and, like Peel, won a gold medal with England at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She also played in that year’s Hockey World Cup.
Since 2008, Repton has produced five Olympic hockey players who have won gold and bronze medals at the London, Rio, and Tokyo Games. These players include Shona McCallin and Leah Wilkinson, who played for the GB women’s hockey squad in Tokyo. McCallin also won gold in Rio, alongside OR Georgie Twigg.
Repton’s First-Ever Olympic Swimmer
Eva Okaro is the first-ever Repton swimmer to represent Team GB at the Olympics. The 17-year-old will be one of the youngest competitors at the event. She is also the first Black woman to represent GB in the pool at the Olympics and the fourth Black swimmer to make a British Olympics team.
Okaro earned her spot in the squad after competing at the Aquatics GB Championships with 22 other members of Repton Swimming Club. She started the competition with a personal best time of 24.96 in the women’s 50-metre freestyle, winning a silver medal.
In the 100-metre freestyle, Okaro set another personal best of 54.46, winning a second silver medal and securing a top-four finish for the relay team selection.
Okaro has previously represented England and GB at the junior level at several international meets. In late 2023, she won gold in the 4×100-metre freestyle at the Ontario Junior International. She also set a new European Junior record in the 4×100-metre mixed medley.
Repton’s High-Performance Sport Provision
Repton has a rich Olympic history, with numerous alumni competing in the Games. Harold Abrahams is one of the most notable Reptonian Olympians. He took part in the 1920 Antwerp and 1924 Paris Games and captained the GB team at the Amsterdam 1928 Games.
Many aspiring athletes choose to study at Repton because the school offers an excellent sports provision and facilities on top of its outstanding academic offerings. Three-time Olympic Champion Adam Peaty used the School’s 25-metre pool to train for the Rio 2016 Games. Peaty will compete alongside Okaro at this summer’s Olympics in Team GB.
Gifted athletes in Repton’s high-performance programme receive tailored support from a mentor. These mentors provide guidance far beyond skill development, shaping attitudes and values while offering emotional and psychological support. They also help pupils transition to life after Repton, leveraging ties to global universities and professional sports institutions.
Repton champions continual improvement through video performance analysis of competitive matches in focus sports. Athletes can review their performances, clip highlights, and build a portfolio for professional clubs or university applications.
The School has a state-of-the-art strength and conditioning gym, where athletes receive personalised training from full-time coaches and support from physiotherapists. The facility contains a variety of equipment, including four performance power racks with Olympic lifting platforms and a 15-metre running track.
Repton also collaborates with Loughborough University, offering master’s degree students internships to gain practical experience and contribute to the School’s sports programme.
