Sereana Salalo/PACNEWS

Continuing the family tradition, Kayla Hepler made her Olympic debut at the Paris La Defense Arena.

Kayla follows in the footsteps of her older sister, Ann-Marie Hepler, who swam at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Twelve years later, 22-year-old Kayla clocked a personal best time of 30.33 seconds.

While her time did not qualify for the semifinals, representing her country at the Olympic Games is a significant achievement.

“It was so great; I was so nervous at the beginning my whole body was shaking.

“I was surprised by my time,” she said.

Kayla finished second in her heat.

Being away from family was tough, but she was glad to be coached by her mother, Amy LaCost.

“We have a 25-yard pool, it was shorter and a little bit difficult but I worked with it.

“We trained in Florida for one month.

It was hard at the beginning, but I made friends," Kayla said.

"We’re a sporting family; my brothers play other sports while my sister and I swim.

"She competed in the London 2012 Olympic Games, and that inspired me to swim,” she added.

Kayla is a third-year university student studying to become a teacher.

She hopes to stay in school to complete her undergraduate studies.

Kayla was one of two Marshallese swimmers who participated at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.