Eve Thomas is set to compete at her second Olympic Games in Paris, following in the footsteps of her mum and biggest inspiration, champion swimmer Sarah Thomas (née Hardcastle), who won silver and bronze at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games representing Great Britain.

Thomas’ earliest memories of swimming consist of days spent with her mum, learning to swim at just a few years old. Thomas has always loved the water, something she puts down to being in her blood. A freestyler by nature, Thomas tends to avoid the other strokes. However, she still races a 200m butterfly and 400m individual medley each year. Thomas’ favourite event is the 800m freestyle.

Thomas started with Coast Swim Club at age six. Seeing her older brothers join swimming brought out her competitive side, making her want to start the sport as well. Always into various sports, it wasn’t until she was sixteen that Thomas decided to take swimming more seriously.

At seventeen, Thomas followed her then-coach, John Gatfield, to Brisbane to join St Peter’s Western. It was a big year for Thomas, who won her first national age group titles the same year and debuted internationally at the 2018 Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Fiji.

Thomas became an Aquablack at the 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, where she competed in the 800m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay. A tenth-place finish in the latter event earned New Zealand a quota spot for the Tokyo Olympics.

After achieving a qualifying mark for the Tokyo Olympics in late 2019, Thomas was poised to race at her first Olympics in 2020 when the Games were postponed due to the global pandemic.

Competing at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Thomas took on the 800m and 1500m freestyle in addition to the 4x200m freestyle relay, posting personal best times in her individual events. Becoming an Olympian was realising a childhood dream for Thomas, who felt privileged to represent New Zealand on the world’s biggest sporting stage while competing against such high-calibre athletes.

Thomas qualified for her first senior international final at the 2022 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, placing seventh in the 800m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay. A month later, she placed fourth in the 800m freestyle at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

After falling ill at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Thomas was a stand-out performer seven months later at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships by placing fourth in both the 800m and 1500m freestyle events, fifth in the 4x200m freestyle relay, and seventh in the 400m freestyle. She posted Olympic qualification marks in the 400m and 800m freestyle events at the championships in Doha.

Thomas added a third individual event—the 1500m freestyle—to her Paris 2024 roster at the 2024 New Zealand Swimming Championships. At the Games, she will contest all three events, in addition to the 4x200m freestyle.

What most excites Thomas about her second Olympics is the live audience and atmosphere that will come with it.

Thomas trains in Dean Boxall’s ‘super squad’ at St Peter’s Western, which features some of the best swimmers in the world.

Outside of swimming, Thomas is pursuing a double degree in Psychology and Business at Massey University. She is also a proud owner of The Skulpt Collective, an activewear brand, that she hopes to grow to be nationally known. Thomas loves to travel and immerse herself in different cultures while enjoying the simple things life has to offer.

Favourite Quote – “Look good, feel good, race good.”

💥 2024 World Aquatics Championships four-time finalist & NZ record - 400m, 800m, 1500m & 4x200m freestyle

Was a stand-out performer at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships, fourth place finishes in the 800m and 1500m freestyle and seventh place in the 400m freestyle. Was also part of the New Zealand teams that broke the national record twice in the 4x200m freestyle one the way to finishing fifth and earning a quota spot for Paris 2024.

💥 2022 Commonwealth Games two-time finalist - 400m & 800m freestyle

Qualified for two finals and finished in fourth place in the 800m freestyle and sixth place in the 400m freestyle at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham

💥 2022 FINA World Aquatics Championships two-time finalist - 800m & 4x200m freestyle

Seventh place finishes in the 800m and 4x200m freestyle finals marked Thomas' first international finals.

💥 Qualified for Tokyo Olympic Games - 800m, 1500m & 4x200m freestyle

Thomas made her Olympic debut at Tokyo in 2021, where she set personal best times in the 800m and 1500m freestyle and was part of the 4x200m freestyle relay

💥 Broke two New Zealand age group records - 800m & 1500m freestyle

Reset the national age group records in the 18 years 800m freestyle and 1500m freestyle at the 2019 Queensland State Championships, with times of 8:37.75 and 16:28.57

💥 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships tenth place finish - 4x200m freestyle

Making her Aquablack debut, Thomas was part of the quartet that placed tenth in the 4x200m freestyle to earn New Zealand a quota spot for the Tokyo Olympics in the event. Thomas also placed 21st in the 800m freestyle

💥 International debut at the 2018 Junior Pan Pacific Championships

Thomas made her international debut at the 2018 Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Fiji, where she placed fifth in the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays, eighth in the 400m freestyle, and tenth in the 800m freestyle