RELEASE - NZ SWIMMING

A host of New Zealand records will be up for grabs as New Zealand’s elite swimmers gather in Auckland this week for the 2023 Apollo Projects NZ Swimming Championships

The National Championships are the premier swimming event in New Zealand and will feature stars including Dame Sophie Pascoe, Lewis Clareburt, Cameron Leslie and Erika Fairweather.

The event is being held at the Sir Owen Glenn National Aquatic Centre in Auckland from April 1st to 5th, with heats being contested in the morning and finals in the evening.

“This year’s nationals are a really key event for us as it doubles as our selection event for the World Aquatics Championships and the World Para Swimming Championship later in the year,” said Swimming New Zealand CEO Steve Johns.

“We’re expecting our athletes to be at their absolute best as they compete for spots in the teams and we’re looking forward to some world class racing over a great few days in the pool.”

Johns is encouraging sports fans to get down to the National Aquatic Centre and support New Zealand’s rising stars.

“The athletes at this event will make up our teams for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games next year so this is a great opportunity to get down and see them race in the flesh.

“We’re expecting a packed arena with a great atmosphere and we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see some records fall. Tickets are available through our website and we’d love to see you there.”

Tokyo Olympian and four-time Commonwealth Games medallist Lewis Clareburt says nationals is always a special event.

“There’s nothing quite like racing in front of your home crowd and it’s an event where I always seem to go really well,” said Clareburt.

“Our swim team showed what we’re capable of at the Commonwealth Games last year. Since then I feel like we’ve only been getting better, the level is really high right now so I’m really looking forward to seeing what we’re capable of over the next few days.”

The full event schedule and results are available at this link. The races will be livestreamed on the Swimming New Zealand Youtube Channel.

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