Trailblazing Olympian Alice Dearing: Burnout, belonging & The Black Swimming Association

Olympian. Marathon swimmer. History-maker.

In this episode of In At The Deep End, Salim sits down with Alice Dearing, the first black woman to represent Team GB in Olympic swimming.

But this conversation goes far beyond medals and Olympic qualification. Alice opens up about the emotional reality of elite sport: the burnout, the self-doubt, the pressure of representation and the strange tension between making history while simply wanting to perform well as an athlete.

Together, Salim and Alice explore:

•  Alice’s journey from Birmingham swimming clubs to the Tokyo Olympics 
•  Why she nearly walked away from swimming several times 
•  The hidden mental toll of high-performance sport 
•  The myths and stereotypes surrounding black people and swimming 
•  The work of the Black Swimming Association
•  The Soul Cap controversy before Tokyo 2020 
•  Identity, belonging and what it means to represent Britain today 
•  Life after retirement and Alice’s ambitions to shape the future of sport in the UK 

It’s an honest, thoughtful and timely conversation about water, identity, resilience and breaking down barriers.

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Useful Links

Alice Dearing

• Alice's website: http://www.alicedearing.com/ 
• Team GB Profile: https://www.teamgb.com/athlete/alice-dearing/53rk1dw8eJYpYKnylE5rvD
• The Black Swimming Association: https://thebsa.co.uk/
• LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-dearing-oly-5ab64517b/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alicedearingx/

Swim with Salim

• SwimLab — Learn to swim with Salim

Swimming & Open Water

• Shepperton Lake - open-water venue mentioned in the episode
• Outdoor Swimmer Magazine

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