Edha Belo has won a universality place in the women's 50 metres freestyle for this year's rearranged Olympics, despite not having access to a swimming pool.

She instead trained in the sea alongside the local population of saltwater crocodiles.

"Timor Leste has suffered more than one COVID outbreak, and Edha has not been able to access a pool for some time," said CONTL secretary general Laurentino Guterres.

"Undaunted, she did dry land training and trained in the sea - and, yes, there are crocodiles but we understand they vary at different times of the year. 

"With the most recent lockdown and then the horrendous rain and flooding, even that had to stop."

Edha, who is 22, only learnt to swim when she was 16-years-old.

An article from 2019 in The Guardian said that Timor-Leste had experienced a "tenfold increase" in crocodile attacks over the last few decades.

The animals are said to be revered in the country, where they are referred to as "grandfathers".

"Hers has to be one of the bravest, most determined stories of journeys to the Olympics," Guterres added on Belo's achievement.

"It is wonderful, too, that she has the support of the Swimming Federation of Timor Leste."

Timor Leste are due to send another swimmer and an athlete to Tokyo 2020.

The team is planning to train for a week in Ina City.

Timor Leste has competed at every Summer Olympics since Sydney 2000 and has never won a medal.

The former Portuguese colony gained independence from Indonesia in 2002, and has also sent skier Yohan Goutt Goncalves to the Winter Olympics in 2004 and 2008.