Competition Preview – 2024 Apollo Projects NZ Short Course Swimming Championships
The 2024 Apollo Projects NZ Short Course Swimming Championships are set to get underway at the National Aquatic Centre in Auckland on Tuesday 20 August. The five days of racing will see some of the best swimmers from across the country battle it out for national titles.
There are 66 international swimmers competing, taking the total to 733 participants. It’s the highest number of competitors at a national championship since the Covid-19 lockdowns, so we are looking forward to an exciting week of racing that unites the swimming community.
Whilst our Paralympic Games and Junior Pan Pacific Championships teams are away for their respective competitions overseas, we are welcoming home some of our Olympians from Paris who will be in action.
The meet is an opportunity to secure qualifying times for the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) that are being held later this year in Budapest. With qualifying opportunities on the line and fast paced racing sure to follow, the competition promises to provide quality viewing. We are stoked to be livestreaming all sessions of the championships live and free on our Swimming NZ YouTube channel for those that can't be there in person.
With the structure of the meet seeing age group timed finals in the morning and open finals in the evening, every session is set to showcase fast swimming and close races. For our preview, we are going to focus on the evening finals but don’t miss any of the action with heats coverage live from 8.30am and finals action live from 4.50pm.
Make sure you are following Swimming NZ social media channels to stay up-to-date with the action across the week.
Day One
The first day gets underway with the 100m Backstroke events. Zac Dell (Club 37) will resume his backstroke battles with Cooper Morley (North Shore) who is back from college, where the battle for the women’s events sees Aquablack Helena Gasson (Coast) up against teammate Amber George (Coast), two-time World Short Course representative Emma Godwin (Heretaunga Sundevils) and returning Olympian Hazel Ouwehand (Phoenix Aquatics). In the Multi-Class events, Asher Smith-Franklin (North Shore) will be hoping to get his championships off to a strong start whilst the Australian visitor Jasmin Fullgrabe heads into the women’s as fastest seed.
For the 200m Breaststroke, it will be a close tussle between Aquablack Josh Gilbert (Club 37) and Blair Helms (North Shore), whilst it will be another close one on the women’s side as Brearna Crawford (Waitakere) enters as the fastest seed marginally ahead of Australian Kalyce Pressler and Zyleika Pratt-Smith (Coast).
The 100m Individual Medley has proven popular again, with reigning national champions Zac Dell and Helena Gasson hoping to retain their titles. Asher Smith-Franklin and Daniel Smith (Pukekohe) enter with nearly identical entry times in the Men’s Multi-Class, with the women’s between Jasmin Fullgrabe and Chloe Gladwin (Whakatane).
The session rounds out with distance events, with Larn Hamblyn-Ough (Coast) comfortably the fastest seed in the 800m Freestyle, with Aquablack Ruby Heath (Neptune & Swim Dunedin) the fastest in the 1500m Freestyle.
The 4 x 100m Freestyle Relays will create plenty of atmosphere, as Club 37 and Coast resume hostilities in the men’s event, with a close race ensuing between Coast, North Shore, Queensland and South Australia in the women’s.
Day Two
Ben Littlejohn (St Paul’s) will be looking to qualify for his second consecutive World Short Course as the fastest seed in the 200m Freestyle ahead of Aquablack Carter Swift (Club 37). Aquablack teammates Chelsey Edwards (North Shore) and Summer Osborne (North Shore) will be looking to book a ticket to Budapest in the women’s event, with South Australian Brittany Castelluzzo coming in as the fastest seed.
Oceania Champion Chris Elson (Vikings) will be up against Aquablack Carter Swift and Oceania silver medallist Jack Hendy (Club 37) in the 50m Butterfly. The long course NZ Record holder Hazel Ouwehand leads a field of three Aquablacks at the top of the women’s entry list with Helena Gasson and Masters 30-34 Years World Record holder Laura Quilter. Daniel Smith and Jasmine Fullgrabe come in the fastest for the Multi-Class events.
Sam Brown (Coast) and Blair Helms look to be racing for gold in the 400m Individual Medley, with youngster Ariel Muchirahondo (Swim Rotorua) hoping to close the gap off the back of outstanding record-breaking form at the NZ Secondary School Swimming Championships last month. Gina McCarthy (Hamilton Aquatics & RPC Waikato) will be hoping to achieve a qualifying standard for Budapest in the women’s race.
Asher Smith-Franklin will be racing the clock in the 400m Freestyle Multi-Class, whilst Quinn Pike (Hamilton Aquatics) and Brooke Anderson (Vikings) will face off in the women’s.
Relays will round out the evening session again, with the 4 x 100m Medley Relay sure to capture the attention of pool deck. Club 37, North Shore and Coast will be matching up in the men’s, whilst it’s Coast and South Australia for the women’s.
Day Three
Sam Brown and Ariel Muchirahondo will be set for another showdown to kick start the third day, taking on the 200m Backstroke. Experienced campaigners Emma Godwin and Helena Gasson will be neck and neck in the women’s event.
Olympic finalist Lewis Clareburt (Club 37) will take to the pool for his first individual race, entered as the fastest seed ahead of Ben Littlejohn and Oceania Champion Chris Elson in the 100m Butterfly. Fresh off her Olympic debut, Hazel Ouwehand will be chasing the NZ Record in the women’s event. Asher Smith-Franklin and Jasmin Fullgrabe will again be the fastest seeds in the Multi-Class.
The hype has been building for the Men’s 50m Breaststroke, with an internal Club 37 challenge set for who can win the title. Josh Gilbert enters the fastest ahead of Josh Pickett (Club 37) and reigning champ Carter Swift. Zyleika Pratt-Smith and Melissa Cowen (North Shore) will be locked in a close race for the women’s event. Daniel Smith and Ian Chen (St Paul’s) will battling for first on the wall in the Multi-Class, with Australian Jordan Berryman the fastest for the women.
Ben Littlejohn will be back in action over the 400m Freestyle as he shows off his short course experience from Harvard, with 2023 World Juniors representative Brooke Bennett (Vikings) just faster than Aquablack Ruby Heath on entry time for the women.
Asher Smith-Franklin will be hoping to dip under two minutes again in the 200m Freestyle Multi-Class after his record-breaking form at NZ Secondary Schools last month, with Quinn Pike and Chloe Gladwin set for a close race in women.
The fast 4 x 50m Freestyle Relays will have the crowd at fever-pitch, with Club 37 and Coast looking to retain their respective crowns.
Day Four
Cooper Morley and Zac Dell are set for a close 50m Backstroke, as are the Coast teammates of Helena Gasson, Amber George and Savanah-eve Martin (Coast). The Multi-Class races will also be close, with little separating the top five in the men’s event, whilst Chloe Gladwin comes in the fastest for the women’s.
Ben Littlejohn is set for the 200m Butterfly on the fourth day of racing, as is World Short Course representative Esme Paterson (Neptune & Swim Dunedin) and Aquablack Hazel Ouwehand. Australian Brittany Castelluzzo comes in the fastest seed in her preferred event.
Josh Gilbert has a margin on the field coming into the 100m Breaststroke, whereas Melissa Cowen, Zyleika Pratt-Smith and Brearna Crawford will be set for another close one. Daniel Smith, Ian Chen and Asher Smith-Franklin look set for a close one in the Multi-Class, whilst McKenzie Drage (Aquagym) will be favourite for the NZ title with Australian Jordan Berryman the overall win.
Aquablack Carter Swift will be eyeing off his NZ Record and ticket to Budapest in the 100m Freestyle, entered with a converted time faster than his record. Teammates Zac Dell and Lewis Clareburt will be looking to show their speed too. Chelsey Edwards will be looking to showcase her recent good form as the fastest seed. Daniel Smith will be the favourite to be first to the wall in the Multi-Class, with Quinn Pike and Chloe Gladwin promising a close battle in the women’s.
The fourth day will be completed with the 4 x 50m Medley Relay. Once again, club pride and points will be on the line as Club 37 and Coast hope to retain their respective titles.
Day Five
The final day of competition starts with the splash and dash of 50m Freestyle. Olympian Cameron Gray (Coast) enters as fastest seed fresh off the plane from Paris, with Kale Twist (Kiwi & Swim Dunedin) separating four Club 37 teammates with less than half a second between them. Aquablacks Chelsey Edwards and Laura Quilter will be close in the women’s event, with Quilter now the World Record holder in the 30 – 34 years Masters age group. Asher Smith-Franklin and Rylee Sayer (Matamata) are the fastest seeds for the Multi-Class events.
Sam Brown and Blair Helms will resume their battle in the 200m Individual Medley, whilst Gina McCarthy will be hoping to lock in a time for Budapest. Asher Smith-Franklin and Chloe Gladwin will be favourites to get their hand on the wall first in the Multi-Class.
Larn Hamblyn-Ough will be hoping to take the 1500m Freestyle distance crown, whilst Ruby Heath and Brooke Bennett will set for a match race in the 800m Freestyle with Australian Molly Walker.
The championships will be rounded out with mixed relays, with international teams likely to push the NZ club teams in the Mixed 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay and Mixed 4 x 100m Medley Relay.
Dive Start Clinic
For those interested, some of our Aquablacks will be hosting a butterfly skills clinic on the final day of racing. Check out the details below and don't miss your chance to get one of the remaining tickets before they sell out.
Key Details
Date: Saturday 24 August
Time: 1.15pm - 3.15pm
Location: Sir Owen G Glenn National Aquatic Centre
Aquablacks Attending:
Hazel Ouwehand - Paris 2024 Olympian
Cameron Gray - Paris 2024 Olympian
Laura Quilter - 50m Butterfly World Record holder (30 - 34 years Masters age group)
Comments