Kate Shortman hoping to make history at Paris 2024 Olympics

With the Paris 2024 Olympic Games underway, we’re taking a closer look at the some of the English athletes that will be competing in the French capital.

Kate Shortman achieved a dream a decade in the making when she competed at the Tokyo Olympics Games three years ago.

Now she has a new goal… an Olympic medal at Paris 2024.

She returns to the Games in the French capital to partner long term duet partner and ‘sister’ Isabelle Thorpe in the duet free and technical events at the Paris Aquatic Centre.

And the Bristol-based athlete is hopeful that the pair can make history by winning the nation’s first ever artistic swimming medal.

She said: “We are really excited for Paris. I think it’s going to be a massive opportunity to show how much we’ve improved since Tokyo.

“Our goal is a medal, obviously we would love it to be gold, but we’re really gunning for anything we can and hopefully make history for the country.”

‘It’s within reach’

Alongside Thorpe, Shortman has been at the forefront of Great Britain’s increasing presence on the international stage in recent years.

The pair left their maiden Games in Japan with a 14^th place finish but have been on the podium at world and European level across the past 18 months.

The duet qualified after winning silver and a bronze at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha in February and won bronze for Team GB at the European Games in Poland last year.

They then topped the podium at the World Aquatics World Cup in May – which was an Olympic test event – and won two silvers at June’s European Championships where the nation recorded their highest ever medal haul.

And Shortman says there’s a ‘big buzz’ around the sport following the recent rule changes as she prepares to compete in Paris.

“It’s so great for the sport. There’s such a big buzz at the moment around the rule change, the rejuvenation of the sport and the fact that it’s possible for literally anyone to get on the podium.

“It’s with consistency and building the sport from the ground up that we can really improve and expand the sport in the UK.

“In Paris we just want to show what we’ve been working for and with the new rule change it means that it is possible for us to get a medal. It’s within reach so we’re really going to go for it.”

Shortman is a member of City of Bristol Aquatics having got into the sport through her family connections – she explained how much the duo have been training in preparation for the Games.

“We usually train around 8am to 5pm and then when we’re on a training camp, it will be 8am to 7pm.

“In the morning we’ll do strength and conditioning, speed swimming, and then we’ll work on our routines. Then in the afternoon similar sort of thing with like a three to four hour session in the pool and after that we’ll have stretching and video review.

“It’s a lot but I just love it. In my family everyone does swimming or water polo or artistic swimming like everyone’s involved in aquatics.

“I just fell into the sport naturally and just loved it and that’s what’s driven me this far.”

An Olympic medal would be the reward the pair deserve for their dedication to the sport and Shortman can’t wait for the action to begin on Friday 9 August.

On Friday evening, they’ll take to the pool for the technical routine before retuning 24 hours later for the free competition. Both events will get underway at 6:30pm with the scores being combined to decide who goes away with the medals.

You can find all the details on how to watch every event at the Olympic Games here.