New Zealand Moves Toward 2020 w/ New National Cuts & Development Squad

New Zealand Swimming has taken its first major move into the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by setting new national team time standards and identifying a development squad of potential 2020 Olympians.

In the past, New Zealand Swimming has had three different squads at the highest level, a national team, a development squad, and a group of younger “Talent ID” swimmers. Now, it has consolidated the latter two groups under the “development squad” umbrella. You can read a full breakdown of the restructuring here.

The new national team time standards reflect the FINA B qualifying standards, and the national development squad is selected using FINA’s point system. Although the current squad has already been determined, the 2017 squads will be decided based on swimmers’ performances at the 2017 NZ National Age and Open Championships and the 2017 Australian Age Championships. The 2017 team will be announced in May of 2017. Additional ‘wildcard’ swimmers can be added by the team’s coach without making the time standards.

Swimmers on New Zealand‘s current Tokyo 2020 development squad include Rio 2016 Olympic semifinalists Bradlee Ashby and Corey Main; Rio 2016 Olympians Helena Gasson and Emma Robinson; and Georgia triplets Mick Litherland and Kevin Litherland. You can see a full breakdown here.

2017 NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL SQUAD QUALIFYING STANDARDS

(FINA B Qualifying Standards)

2017 NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT SQUAD STANDARDS

2016 SWIMMING NEW ZEALAND TOKYO 2020 DEVELOPMENT SQUAD