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'I need to let other kids who look like me, know that they can get to the Olympics'

USA swimmer Natalie Hinds says it’s her dream to compete at the Tokyo Olympics and use her platform to fight for racial equality.

Hinds is one few elite African Americans in the sport and she admits that, with racial injustice in the spotlight in recent months, she’s had to revisit some of the racism she faced and then suppressed as a child.

She tells the Â鶹Éç World Service’s Hugh Ferris how the last year has been so mentally exhausting with so much uncertainty around whether the Games will go ahead.

Photo: Natalie Hinds poses in between her training in a residential pool on May 15, 2020 in Athens, Georgia. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many elite athletes have been forced to adjust training locations and regimens. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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6 minutes