2024 Paris Olympic Games Wrap
NZ Swimming Team
Lewis Clareburt, Erika Fairweather, Eve Thomas, Hazel Ouwehand, Cameron Gray, Kane Follows, Taiko Torepe-Ormsby, Caitlin Deans and Laticia-Leigh Transom
NZ Artistic Swimming
Eva Morris and Nina Brown
Diving NZ
Elizabeth Rousel (Lizzie Cui)
The NZ Swimming Trust is proud to have assisted all of these athletes in the past with Scholarship Grants.
Day 1
Erika Fairweather has had the best result for a NZ swimmer in the Olympics since Lauren Boyle in London 2012, finishing 4th in the Women’s 400m Free.
She won her heat (4:02.55) against Summer McIntosh to qualify 3rd fastest for the final.
The event was billed as one of the races to watch in Paris, to kick off the swimming competition, with a field including Erika Fairweather, reigning World champion, World Record holder and reigning Olympic champion, Ariana Titmus (Australia), former World Record holders, Katie Ledecky (USA) and Summer McIntosh (Canada).
In the final, Titmus and McIntosh went out hard, from the start to establish a strong lead. Titmus looked strong as she pulled clear of McIntosh for gold and silver respectively. Fairweather displayed her trademark strong finish to close in in Ledecky, who got her hand to the wall 0.26s in front of Fairweather.
Day 2
Lewis Clareburt produced his best result in an Olympic final, finishing 6th in the Men’s 400 IM and improving on his 7th from Tokyo, 3 years ago.
Day 3
Erika Fairweather in the Women’s 200 Free final achieved her best time on the international stage, in 7th place, just outside her NZ record, improving on her 16th place from Tokyo.
Day 4
Eve Thomas produced her best individual finish in the Women’s 1500m Free at an Olympics, placing 12th in the world, a significant rise up the ranks since 26th place in Tokyo, 3 years ago.
Day 5
Kane Follows took on the Men’s 200m Back, notching his best finish of the games by placing 21st in the world.
Day 6
Highlighted by our Women’s 4 x 200m Free Relay Team (Erika Fairweather, Eve Thomas, Caitlin Dean and Laticia-Leigh Transom), becoming the 1st Kiwi women to make an Olympic relay final, where they finished 8th in the world (7:55.89). In the heats, the team swum the second fastest time ever produced by New Zealand in the relay event (7:54.37).
Taiko Torepe-Ormsby made his Olympic debut in Men’s 50m Free. He got off to a good start and touched the wall in 2nd place, just outside his NZ record. This was the 2nd fastest performance by a NZ swimmer in history.
Day 7 and Day 8
Erika Fairweather, qualified for her 4th final in Paris, in the 800m Free and finished 8th in the final.
The King’s Service Medal
For services to swimming
Mrs Sandra Burrow has dedicated more than 50 years to swimming as a coach, manager, club administrator and technical official.
Mrs Burrow joined the Mount Roskill Swimming Club in 1959 as a swimmer and taking on roles which she has maintained since. She coached at the club for 17 years, serving as the Development Coach between 1992 and 2000, and as Head Coach between 2000 and 2006. She was a committee member of the Club for 24 years from 1982, serving as Club Captain and managing the swim teams attending New Zealand Championship meets. She has been the Head Coach of Central City Swim Club since 2006, supporting her club members at swim meets, championships, multi-day meets around New Zealand, and various championships held in Australia. Under her leadership her swim members have broken more than 150 Auckland and more than 30 New Zealand swimming records across 24 years. She was a member of the Auckland Centre Judges Panel between 1982 and 1995 and served as the Chief Judge for two years, becoming Assistant Controller of TISCO Meetings in 1982, holding the position for ten years. She was a long-standing member of the Auckland Awards Committee and a member of the Auckland Coaches Group Committee until 2023. Mrs Burrows coached at the 2016 Rio Olympics and at the Youth Commonwealth Games in Trinidad and Tobago in 2023.
2022 FINA World Short Course Championships - Melbourne
Fairweather makes a splash on day one!
Day one saw Erika Fairweather, the NZ Swimming Alumni 2018 Emerging Swimmer of the Year, take home a silver medal after a brilliant swim in the 400m Freestyle.
In the heats, Fairweather smashed the 18 NZ Age Group record taking almost 4-seconds off the previous time and qualified fastest for the final.
In the final, going head-to-head with Australian Lani Pallister, Fairweather was just pushed out at the finish, but still improved upon her heat swim to re-set the 18 NZ Age Group record with 3:56.00.
Congratulations!
Fantastic achievements at the 2022 Paralympic Games from our New Zealand Swimming Alumni recipients, Jesse Reynolds, Nikita Howarth, and Tupou Neiufi. You made us so proud!
Thank you to all our sponsors and supporters. It assists the Swimming Alumni to distribute $55,000 each year to Competitive Swimmers. We look forward to your continued support in our mission to assist athletes to represent New Zealand.
Please continue to help us by offering to be a mentor to swimmers experiencing changes in their pathways or by paying the $50 membership of the Alumni.
https://nzswimmingalumni.org.nz/membership
WHO ARE WE?
The New Zealand Swimming Alumni was established in 1989 to promote the disciplines of the sport of swimming and to assist athletes who have the potential to represent their country. We are proud to have supported many developing athletes with scholarships to assist their journey to achieve their goals.
WHAT WE DO
We raise money throughout each year in a number of ways to support budding athletes achieve their international sporting dreams. Sponsorship and funding for individual athletes is tough in New Zealand so we work to support those who are struggling financially to attend international competitions and fund their training commitments. The Trust expects that many of the grants will support athletes who are building towards the PARIS 2024 Olympics.
Each year we host the Legends Relay with past internationals returning to the pool for some fast and fun racing. We are also lucky to have some amazing sponsors who support us - but we are always on the hunt for more!
Our 30 year longevity has enabled us to also invest trust funds and proceeds from these investments are distributed annually to athletes.
WHO DO WE SUPPORT?
Over the years, the Alumni has supported many developing international athletes and has now introduced an award for the New Zealand Swimming Alumni Emerging Swimmer of the Year.
Contact
➤ Address
NZ Swimming Trust Inc
P O Box 184
Matamata 3440.
☎ CONTACT
David Jack: davidjack@xtra.co.nz
Teresa Stanley: secretary@nzswimmingalumni.org.nz
Charities Commission Registration number : CC28033
MENTORING PROGRAMME
The NZ Swimming Alumni has been working with the Athlete Leadership Group (ALG) to establish a Mentoring Programme for our swimmers.
The Mentoring Programme will be established to assist all swimmers, and their parents, either those at the beginning of their open age group swimming career, toward the end of their swimming career as they transition into the workforce or study, or as they make significant changes in their swimming career. Swimmers nearing the end of their secondary schooling may also find themselves in a position where they need to make difficult decisions to continue swimming.
We have run one workshop to date, and our next goals to the programme will include:
Piloting the programme with approximately 10 mentors and 5 mentees with 1 – 1 mentoring for development/second tier swimmers to help with transitioning, out or within their swimming.
Develop a cache of stories from ex-swimmers (audio or podcasts) to sit on our website.
Mentors – develop a list of advice for mentors
Provide advice available for parents.
Watch this space for our development!!
“Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement.”