Sacrificing over 40 combined hours of training a week, the Butler siblings know nothing but hard work. Lara, 21, and Geoffrey Butler, 20, started swimming about one year apart and have never looked back. 

“When I was 5 years old, my mum attended swimming classes,” Lara says, “because we lived on an island, she wanted to make sure I knew how to swim and it went from there”.

Having upped their training, Lara and Geoffrey are giving their dream to compete at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games, some wings. 

“In hopes to qualify or be invited to Rio, I have competed in 2016 Eindhoven Swimming World Cup and also at the Olympic British trials in the coming months to qualify,” Geoffrey says, “In preparing for these competitions I have increased the number of swim sessions I’m doing to 10 per week”. 

“I’ve been training really hard and competing in various competitions in the hopes to keep dropping my time and reach the qualifying time for Rio,” Lara says, “I’m giving everything I have into my training in and out of the pool”. 

Currently attending universities in the U.K., Lara and Geoffrey have hopes of returning to the Cayman Islands, but first they are determined to make their small island proud. 

“It would be an amazing honor to represent my country and wear the Cayman Islands flag proudly,” Lara says. 

Competing in all individual medleys but primarily the 200 IM, as well as the butterfly’s, backstrokes and 100m freestyle. She has won over ten medals in her short swimming career. 

“[Competing at Rio 2016] means everything, it is the biggest achievement in swimming, period. Every swim meet and competition leads up to it and it is everyone’s main dream,” Lara says. “I have put a lot into swimming and sacrificed a lot to be where I am today and I wouldn’t change it for anything”. 

Having watched the Summer Olympic Games on television at 8 years old, Geoffrey says it is now his time to shine in the 1500m and 400m freestyle. 

“Rio 2016 is a dream for me, I’ve wanted to go to the Olympics since I watched the Athens Olympics in 2004”, Geoffrey says. “I am so proud to be from the Cayman Islands, it has always been my home and I love representing Cayman. Representing Cayman on the stage of the biggest sporting event in the world would be the greatest honor I could ever imagine”.