Big names picked in Kiwi team for Games
Tokyo Olympians Lewis Clareburt and Erika Fairweather and para swimming superstar Dame Sophie Pascoe will spearhead the New Zealand swimming team to to the Commonwealth Games.
The trio were among 12 swimmers named yesterday to compete in Birmingham starting in late July.
Clareburt finished seventh in the final of the men’s 400m individual medley at last year’s
Olympics after qualifying secondfastest and leading at the halfway stage of the final. The 22-year-old also made the final of the 200 individual medley.
Fairweather was the surprise package of the team in Tokyo, with the then 17-year-old storming into the women’s 400m freestyle final as the fourthfastest qualifier, beating the national record and personal best time by a staggering four seconds.
She was eighth in the final and also made the semifinals of the 200m freestyle.
Pascoe, 29, will contest only one event in Birmingham – the 100m freestyle S9 – under the gaze of new coach Brett Naylor. Clareburt will head to Birmingham looking to improve on the bronze medal he won at Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and will be ranked second in the 200m and 400m Imevents.
‘‘After my Olympic experience in Tokyo I feel like I’ve learnt a lot about my own swimming and how I can perform on the biggest stage,’’ Clareburt said.
‘‘We’re happy with how everything is tracking and now I’m just focused on getting to Birmingham in the best shape possible.’’
The squad will first contest the world championships in Budapest, Hungary, in June.