Fairweather And Clareburt Headline New Zealand’s 2023 World Championships Roster

Swimming New Zealand has named 15 swimmers to its roster for the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan this summer. That’s a two-person increase from the 13 that they sent to the 2022 World Champs and more than double the seven that they brought to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

While New Zealand didn’t take home any medals last year in Budapest, they will return all three swimmers who qualified for individual finals. Erika Fairweather made it into the top eight in the women’s 400 freestyle last year, hitting a 4:04.73 in the final. She surpassed that swim at the New Zealand Championships with a new national record of 4:00.62. Fairweath also hit a new 200 freestyle national record (1:55.44) to qualify for that event and added the 800 freestyle to her event lineup as well.

Lewis Clareburt qualified for two finals at Budapest 2022, placing 4th overall in the 400 IM and 7th in the 200 IM. He will swim both of those events in Fukuoka this summer, as well as the 4×100 medley relay. Eve Thomas will have a shot at returning to the 800 freestyle final this year after placing second at Trials with an 8:24.98. That time was quicker than the 8:30.37 she swam in the final at 2022 Worlds to place 7th overall.

Other members of New Zealand’s 2022 contingent who will return to the team this year include Andrew Jeffcoat, Michael Pickett, Cameron Gray, Carter Swift, Caitlin Deans, and Chelsea Edwards.

New Zealand has won 11 medals all-time at the World Aquatics Championships, all of which have been in swimming. Clareburt’s bronze medal in the 400 IM in 2019 was the most recent medal; before that, now-retired distance star Lauren Boyle won silver medals in both the 800 and 1500 at the 2015 World Championships.

New Zealand’s 2023 World Championships Roster

• Lewis Clareburt: 200, 400 IM, 4×100 Medley Relay
• Chelsey Edwards: 4×100 Mixed Free Relay
• Erika Fairweather: 200, 400, 800 Freestyle, 4×200 Free Relay, 4×100 Mixed Free Relay
• Michael Pickett: 50 Freestyle
• Zac Reid: 400 Freestyle
• Eve Thomas: 400, 800, 1500 Freestyle, 4×200 Free Relay
• Caitlin Deans: 1500 Freestyle, 4×200 Free Relay
• Cameron Gray: 50 Butterfly, 4×100 Medley Relay, 4×100 Mixed Free Relay
• Andrew Jeffcoat: 50m, 100m, 200m Backstroke, 4×100 Medley Relay
• Carter Swift: 4×100 Mixed Free Relay
• Hazel Ouwehand: Phoenix Aquatics: 50m Butterfly
• Joshua Gilbert: 4×100 Medley Relay
• Luan Grobbelaar: 400m Individual Medley
• Summer Osborne: 4×200 Free Relay
• Monique Wieruszowski: 50m Breaststroke

Team Leadership

• Team Leader: Gary Francis – Swimming New Zealand
• Team Coach: Lars Humer – Swim Dunedin
• Team Coach: Gary Hollywood – Capital
• Team Coach: Mitch Nairn – Club 37
• Team Coach: Michael Weston – Coast Swim Club
• Team Physio: Megan Munro
• Team Analyst: Matt Ingram
• Team Manager: Graeme Maw