Clareburt finds inspiration
Lewis Clareburt gave surprise bronze medallist Cameron Gray the shirt off his own back – then went and got his own gold.
Clareburt won the men’s 400m individual medley for New Zealand at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham yesterday, heading off Australia’s Brendon Smith and Scotland’s Duncan Scott in a Games record and personal best time of 4min 8.70sec.
The 23-year-old said he was inspired by Gray’s bronze out of the blue earlier in the night (UK time) in the 50m butterfly final – but he also had to help the teenager out for the medal ceremony.
‘‘He brought all the wrong gear,’’ Clareburt said.
‘‘Someone gave him his tracksuit pants, he took my tracksuit shirt – he wasn’t meant to get a medal, he didn’t think he’d get one.
‘‘That was me four years ago,’’ Clareburt said of his bronze in the 400IM at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
‘‘I wasn’t planning to get a medal, I wasn’t even in the team till a few months out.
‘‘He gave me a little tear to my eye when I was watching it and I had to pull myself back as I knew I had to race.’’
Clareburt led throughout all four legs of the differing strokes and particularly excelled in the third breaststroke leg, which had been his weakest discipline until very recently.
‘‘It’s weird thinking how far it’s come. I’ve been working on it so much, and it’s never really made a movement, until the last few weeks.’’
The Wellingtonian was disappointed with his seventh-place finish in the final at the Tokyo Olympics last year, when he was the second-fastest qualifier for the final but struggled to sleep prior to the final, with heats held at night and finals the next morning.
He appeared completely relaxed as he entered the arena yesterday for the final and said this year he’d been trying to enjoy his swimming more.
‘‘I feel like I’m always generally pretty relaxed.
‘‘In Tokyo it was hard to relax because it’s such a intense environment, it’s the world’s biggest stage – whereas here it’s not quite as big ... I just felt like this time it was all meant to happen.’’
Gray was the seventh-fastest qualifier but the 18-year-old blasted his way in lane one to finish third behind England’s Benjamin Proud and Singapore’s Tzen Wei Teong in 23.27sec – 0.01sec ahead of Dylan Carter, of Trinidad and Tobago.
Clareburt did give some New Zealand fans a scare when he threw his swimming cap into the next lane in delight after touching first, while the race was still going.
Given what had happened to fellow Kiwis Hayden Wilde and Ellesse Andrews on day one, some may have feared a horror disqualification looming.
‘‘I’ve still got the medal so I don’t think they DQ’ed me,’’ Clareburt laughed.
‘‘I think it was just raw emotion and . . . I looked up and to see the time, it was a PB, and that’s what I strive for, to better myself every time I race.’’