Kyle Kothari hopes his maiden Olympic appearance acts as inspiration for British Asians to give aquatics a go.

The 26-year-old diver finished 11th after making the final in Paris alongside compatriot Noah Williams, who went on to take bronze having won two golds as part of Team England at Birmingham 2022.

Sport England research suggests 93% of Asian adults in the UK do not swim, with South Asians listed among the groups least likely to be active.

Kothari, believed to be the first athlete from a UK Jain family to compete at the Olympics, wants to change perceptions and hopes his presence in Paris can help do just that.

“I was very fortunate growing up, my dad used to take me to loads of different sports,” he said.

“That is not something that is that normal within my culture. When you look on tv and see the archetype which is good for certain sports and don’t see yourself represented, a lot of kids will think ‘obviously I won’t be good at that’ and not give it a go.

“Even at the lower levels, if you don’t see someone who’s made it to the top, you’re unsure if it’s possible.

“With representation, once you see someone that looks like you or is built like you do it, it gives you that belief that if he can do it, so can I.”

Kothari has come through various stages of injury hell to realise his Olympic dream, including rupturing both his Achilles.

He also gave up a job in financial services with all eyes on Paris and feels his sacrifices have been made worthwhile now he has graced the biggest sporting stage of all

“Three years ago, I was sat with my foot in a boot working in treasury services at JP Morgan,” he said.

“I wasn’t even thinking about going back to diving. If you had told me my accolades from then until now, I wouldn’t have believed you.

“I’m really proud of myself for giving it a go and taking that risk.”

Kothari won mixed synchro silver in Birmingham while competing as part of the pride for Team England and confessed to mixed emotions at not challenging the podium in Paris.

“It was pretty tough,” he said. “I think it’s bittersweet. I want to feel proud that I made an individual Olympic final on my first go.

“But then, it’s one of those. I don’t know what’s worse, diving better and coming fourth or diving like I did. It wasn’t terrible but I didn’t really ever lock in or feel comfortable in that final.

“I’m sure I’ll look back on it fondly, it’s definitely something I’ll be proud of. But when I see the score that got bronze, if I’d dived the way I had in the semi-final and just put in the reverse that I fixed in that final then I would have been there too.

“It feels like a missed opportunity for now but I’m sure I’ll look back on it and be really proud of what I’ve done on my first go."