Which Olympic landmark will Kristel Köbrich reach at Paris 2024?

Legendary Chilean swimmer Kristel Köbrich will celebrate her 39th birthday in Paris, at one of her favorite events - the Olympic Games. Edging closer towards her fourth decade, Köbrich is still going strong. She reached the final of the 1,500 meters freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha back in February (finishing on 16:18.90).

Köbrich gets Paris invitation

Köbrich, the most relevant swimmer in Chile’s sporting history, is also set to make history this summer. She has been invited by World Aquatics to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the same event (a case similar to that of the Spanish Jéssica Vall in the 200 breaststroke). As soon as she hits the water in the French capital, Kristel will join an elite group of swimmers who have participated in more editions of the Games than anyone else.

She told DSPORTS: “I’m very happy, and delighted to be part of the Team Chile delegation that will be taking part at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. My case is a strange one, because no one from our country has ever participated at six Olympics Games before. So I am very honored and very proud to be able to continue to do what I love doing, and represent my country. So Thank You, and see you there!”

So far, five swimmers (four men, one woman) have taken part in six different Olympics - next month Kristel Köbrich will become the sixth to achieve the feat.

Born in Santiago, Chile, She holds several national records (200m, 400m, 800m, 1500 freestyle and 400m individual medley) as well as the South American records in the women’s 800m and 1500m freestyle.

She made her debut two decades ago at Athens 2004, as the flagbearer of her country and has not missed any of the subsequent Games. In June 2016, Sweden’s Therese Alshammar became the first female swimmer to participate in six Olympics and the third overall, after Lars Frölander and Derya Büyükuncu.

Just like Alshammar in Rio, Köbrich will complete her sixth Games just as she turns 39. In the case of the Swedish swimmer, who took home silver medals in the 50m and 100m freestyle at Sydney 2000, the achievement was even more remarkable as she had become a mother three years previously.

Alshammar’s compatriot Lars Frölander along with Turkey’s Derya Büyükuncu were the first swimmers to log six Olympic Games at London 2016, both appearing in the men’s events.

Since then, Tunisia’s Oussama Mellouli has joined the select group. Ous is a three-time Olympic medalist and the first in the world to clinch gold both in the in the pool (1,500m) and in open water (10 kilometers) in the same Olympic event (London 2016). He appeared at Tokyo 2020, finishing 20th in the 10 km open water marathon and tried to qualify for Paris, without success, at 40 years of age.