Jacob Whittle thanks support of his first clubs and coaches ahead of Paris 2024

With the Paris 2024 Olympic Games around the corner, we’re taking a closer look at some of our aquatics athletes who are representing Team GB in the French capital this summer.

At still just 19 years of age, Jacob Whittle heads into his second Olympic Games with high hopes for Paris.

The Bath Performance Centre swimmer made his Olympic debut in Tokyo at just 16, making the semi-final of the 100m Freestyle after just missing out on a semi-final spot in the 4x100m Freestyle Relay too.

Three years on, he’s looking forward to progressing as he once again takes part in the 100m Freestyle and will be a key part of the GB relay squads.

He said: “With it being my second Olympic Games, I want to go over there and progress from Tokyo.

“I’ve got really high hopes for the relay, I don’t really want to put a target on that but I just want to go out there have fun and achieve what I think we can all achieve.”

Since his Olympic debut, Whittle has been a regular member of Aquatics GB squads at world and European level.

He also had an impressive debut Commonwealth Games at Birmingham 2022, helping Team England to four relay medals, including gold in the Men’s 4x100m Medley Team.

Whittle admits that his experiences since Tokyo has made him more confident than ever as he looks to impress in the French capital.

“Going into my first Olympics at 16, obviously people would think it’d be scary. And even me now, I would’ve expected it to be scary, but it wasn’t.

“I really had a good time. I had a good team around me and I was pretty confident in that environment. But doing that so young and being comfortable with that so young, it just sets you up for now.

“I’m still only 19, but I’m pretty confident of racing on the world stage. I don’t get nervous and it definitely sets you up with more confidence that you’re going to get better and you can focus on swimming well rather than panicking about the racing.

“The Commonwealth Games was a really good meet for me and the whole of Team England, so I’m really confident with the fact that I’ve got the experience on that level, going into a village and having that experience.

“And now compared to Tokyo, I’m a lot more confident in myself and the team I’ve got around me so it should be really good this year.”

‘They ignited that spark’

Whittle joined his first club – Ripley Rascals – at around the age of seven where he’s still a member till this day.

Since then he’s moved on to swim for Derventio eXcel, teaming up with Paris 2024 bound coach Jamie Main before joining the Loughborough National Centre and now the Bath Performance Centre.

He was a regular on Swim England talent camps at both a national and regional level as he came through the sport. Looking back on his journey, he thanks those clubs in his early years for igniting his love for the competitive side of swimming.

“I joined Ripley Rascals quite young. I was six or seven and it was a brilliant move for me.

“The head coach was a great coach, I still speak to him today, still good friends with him. And he kind of ignited that spark in me wanting to pursue this as a career.

“They took it from just learning how to swim because I wanted to know how to swim to then wanting to be able to do it competitively, wanting to get better at it because I wanted to race.

“I went to my first counties and got loads of medals and then took it to Midlands and just worked its way up from there really. But Ripley was that first base as such, that really set it off for me in wanting to pursue it.

“I progressed through their ranks until unfortunately it was just wasn’t right for me to be there any longer.

“I decided to move on to Derventio, still keeping my relationship at Ripley. I stayed a member of the club and I still am today.

“But I moved on to Derventio with Jamie and again, a great move. I really enjoyed training with Jamie. It was a great squad, a lot of summers going to nationals and then obviously going to the Swim England and regional camps with all the different coaches.

“So with that foundation as such, it really set me up for the career that I’ve got today.”