BIRKENHEAD'S Freya Anderson was unable to repeat her Olympic medal winning exploits of 2021 as the Women’s 4x100m Freestyle team came seventh in Paris.

An electric atmosphere circled a packed La Defense Arena for the first night of swimming finals on Saturday (July 27), with the first four of 35 gold medals to be awarded across the nine days of the pool programme decided.

The first British action in a medal event came in the Women’s 4x100m Freestyle, with Anna Hopkin, Eva Okaro, Lucy Hope and Anderson repeating the formation that had secured them a place among the top eight international teams to progress from the morning heats.

Hopkin led off at pace, touching first at the 50m turn before handing the baton over to Okaro in fifth. Okaro - who created history today as the first black female ever to represent Team GB in the pool at an Olympics - put in a solid leg, with Hope backing that up before Anderson dived in to anchor the team home.

Anderson, 23, notched the team fastest individual split, touching in seventh as the quartet delivered an improved collective time from heats to final.

After the race, 17-year-old Okaro spoke through the emotions of making her Olympic debut,

"I am honoured to be in this position. I think it's an incredible achievement just to have got here and it was so much fun.” she said,

"It was slightly faster than this morning. It's our first Olympic final with the girls and it was so much fun. They have all been very welcoming and very encouraging. Especially because it's my first Olympics. They have been to other Olympics so it is nice for them to see youngsters coming up through the team. I really enjoy doing it with them."

Anderson will have another chance to secure a medal when she takes part in the Women’s 4x200m freestyle relay on Thursday (August 1). 

In July 2021, Anderson won gold as part of the British team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in mixed 4 × 100 metre medley relay, swimming the freestyle anchor leg in the heat.