Olympic swimmer Alice Dearing cuddles a teddy bear wearing goggles and arm bands as she sits at the edge of her training pool to read a CBeebies Bedtime Story.
The athlete, 24, who is Team GB’s first black female swimmer, will read Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall, a story about overcoming your fears, on July 23, the same day as the Olympics opening ceremony.
Dearing, who will compete in the open-water event in Tokyo, asks the young viewers: “Are you ready to jump into tonight’s bedtime story with me?”
After reading the story, she says: “Trying something new can feel a little scary at first but when you finally give it a go, you just might love it and never want to stop, just like swimming for me.”
Dearing will appear for a second Bedtime Story on August 3, the night before her big moment in the Olympics.
So excited to officially announce that I have been selected as a @teamgb athlete for the Tokyo 2020 games. I have qualified in the marathon swimming race (10KM, open water).
My selection makes me the first black woman to represent GB in a swimming event at the Olympic Games. pic.twitter.com/7m2oCwSxa9
— Alice Dearing (@alicedearingx) June 25, 2021
She will read Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave by Jessica Hische, a story that reminds readers that tomorrow is another day, full of endless opportunities.
Dearing has previously said she hopes her selection as the first black female swimmer to represent Great Britain at the Olympics can go some way to erasing “decades of cultural and institutional racism” within the sport.
She added she is keen to use her resulting profile to help shatter the stereotypes that have hampered ethic minority progress in the water.
