Guyana’s youngest ever Olympian

At just 15-year-old, Aleka Persaud made history as the youngest person to represent Guyana in the Olympics.

The swimmer first competed on the world stage in the 2020 Tokyo games, swimming the women’s 50m freestyle. In Tokyo, Aleka came second in her heat, achieving a personal record (pr) at 27.76. This personal best was special as, the year prior, Aleka had very limited pool time.

Aleka competed in her second Olympic Games in 2024 in Paris, where she finished fourth in her 100m Freestyle heats. While she is focused on medaling in a future Olympic game, Aleka continues to make records for Guyana and in the Caribbean region.

In 2019, she claimed gold medals in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly at the CARIFTA Swimming Championships. She holds the country record in the 50 m freestlye at 27.42.

Aleka started swimming at 3 years old and is a student-athlete, currently enrolled in University of Guyana and training in England. Her father, Ivan Persaud, is a former President of the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association. Becoming the nation’s youngest Olympic swimmer ever is a true testament to the power of dreams and determination.