Age Group Swimmers Converge on Hawke's Bay

Competition Preview - 2025 Apollo Projects NZ Age Group Swimming Championships

We are excited to host the 2025 Apollo Projects NZ Age Group Swimming Championships for the third consecutive year at the Hawke’s Bay Regional Aquatic Centre.

This year, over 500 swimmers are taking to the competition pool for the championships, including some of the top age group swimmers from across New Zealand and more than twenty swimmers from around the world. Within this, there continues to be growth within the number of swimmers in the multi-class events from year to year, with 2025 also being the first year non-Paralympic pathway classifications (S15, S18 and S19) can compete. The five day championships start tomorrow on Sunday 13 April and will wrap up on Thursday 17 April.

Swimmers will race in the 50m competition pool and battle it out for national age titles. The age groups on offer are 13 years, 14 years, 15 years, 16 years and Multi-Class (13 - 18 years), with ages set as of the first day of racing (13 April 2025).

In addition to aspiring for the national age title, some swimmers will be setting their eyes on achieving qualifying times for New Zealand teams selected for upcoming international competition later in the year. The championships offer opportunities for swimmers to qualify for are:

2025 Tri Series (Ballarat, Australia, from 7 - 12 July)
2025 World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships (Romania from 19 - 24 August)
2025 World Para Swimming Championships (Singapore from 21 - 27 September)

View Selection Criteria

There are a few swimmers who are knocking on the door to achieving qualifying times. Rylee Sayer (Matamata) has continued to improve, having already achieved qualifying times for the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships over the summer. With the opportunity to debut as an Aquablack in Singapore later in the year, Sayer will be one to watch across the championships. She will be racing in the 50m freestyle multi-class on the first day (already achieved qualifying time), the 100m freestyle multi-class and 50m breaststroke multi-class on day two, the 50m butterfly multi-class on day three (already achieved qualifying time), the 100m breaststroke multi-class on day four (already achieved qualifying time) and the 200m individual medley on the final day.

Ariel Muchirahondo (Swim Rotorua) is another swimmer to keep an eye out for across the championships. After an excellent 2024 season in which he broke some long-standing 15 years NZ age records held by Danyon Loader and won his first open age national title at the 2024 Apollo Projects NZ Short Course Swimming Championships in the 200m butterfly, Muchirahondo will be hoping to secure multiple qualifying times for the 2025 World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships. On day two he will be looking to achieve the time in the 400m individual medley, before trying for the 400m freestyle and 100m backstroke on day three. Day four will see him tackle the 200m butterfly and then the 200m individual medley on the final day.

There are a number of other swimmers who have an entry time within reach of qualifying times for Romania. Nemanja Markovic (Roskill) will be aiming for the time in the 400m individual medley, while Kayne Howat (SwimZone Racing) will be aspiring for the 50m butterfly time and Mitch Ellis (Liz van Welie Aquatics) will be hoping for the 200m backstroke time. Mila Tongalea (United) and Rui Hou (Roskill) will both be looking to improve their times to get near the qualifying time in the 50m freestyle, while Bianca Chan (Roskill - 100 Free) will be looking to do the same in the 100m freestyle.

In addition to those who aspire to qualify for New Zealand teams, there promises to be exciting racing on offer across each of the five days. We have provided the schedule for the races each day below.