Day 3 Wrap at the World Aquatics Championships
Lewis Clareburt and Erika Fairweather have both narrowly missed out on another final at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
Swimming in the men’s 200m Butterfly, Capital Swim Club’s Lewis Clareburt swam a solid heat, posting his second fastest ever time of 1:56.23s, just outside the PB time which won him gold at last year’s Commonwealth Games.
In a fast semi-final Clareburt pushed fast to stay with the leaders over the first 100m but wasn’t able to keep up in the second 100m, swimming a time of 1:56.44s to place 13th overall.
"I didn't swim quite as fast as I would've liked in that semi but I'm taking some huge positives from this meet," said Clareburt.
"I've seen a big shift in my turns and underwaters so that's been really important for me as I head towards a really big year next year."
Clareburt is back in the pool today competing in the 200m Individual Medley.
"The team vibe has been great, Erika's bronze really set us alight and we've had some awesome results. We've still got quite a lot of competition left and we want to finish on a high."
Meanwhile, Erika Fairweather from Neptune Swim Club rested and refocused after her bronze in the 400m Freestyle two days earlier. Contesting the 200m Freestyle the Dunedin swimmer paced herself in her heat to qualify 10th for the semi-finals in a time of 1:57.36s.
Fairweather found herself in a very fast semi-final where she improved her heat time to 1:56.87s. The result just over a second off her PB but not quite enough to get her to the final, finishing 11th overall.
In the days other action Josh Gilbert from Club 37 swam a fantastic heat in the 50m Breaststroke. Gilbert posted a big PB of 27.59s to have him sitting just outside the top 20 in the world, finishing 23rd overall. The time sees him move to second fastest NZ male ever over the distance, sitting behind Glenn Snyders.
"Achieving a personal best at world championship was an incredible experience for me. It symbolizes progress and growth, both as an athlete and as an individual," said Gilbert.
"Being around the top 20 in the world is a testament to the countless hours of training, support from my team, and the belief in myself. It fuels my determination to continue pushing my limits and reaching for even greater heights in my swimming journey."
Taranaki’s Zac Reid was also in the pool in his last event at the World Champs, placing 30th in the men’s 800m Freestyle in 8:06.94.
“Definitely not the Championships I was hoping for,” said Reid in a post. “So much to learn as I move forward, onwards and upwards.”
The action continues today with Cameron Gray kicking off his campaign, swimming in the 100m Freestyle.
Helena Gasson (backstroke), Josh Gilbert (breaststroke), Hazel Ouwehand (butterfly) and Carter Swift (freestyle) will also be contesting the 4 x 100m Mixed Medley.
The full Aquablacks World Aquatics schedule is available here.
And make sure you follow Swimming NZ on Instagram and Facebook for all the behind-the-scenes info.
Aquablacks Team
Lewis Clareburt (#257) Capital Swim Club
· 200, 400 IM
· 100, 200 Butterfly
· 4x100 Medley Relay
Chelsey Edwards (#265) Coast Swim Club
· 100 Freestyle
· 4x100 Mixed Free Relay
Erika Fairweather (#266) Neptune Swim Club
· 200, 400, 800 Freestyle
· 4x200 Free Relay
· 4x100 Mixed Free Relay
Michael Pickett (#268) Club 37
· 50 Freestyle
Zac Reid (#269) Neptune Swim Club
· 200, 400 Freestyle
Eve Thomas (#270) Coast Swim Club
· 400, 800, 1500 Freestyle
· 4x200 Free Relay
Caitlin Deans (#276) Neptune Swim Club
· 1500 Freestyle
· 4x200 Free Relay
Cameron Gray (#277) Coast Swim Club
· 50 Butterfly
· 100 Freestyle
· 4x100 Medley Relay
· 4x100 Mixed Free Relay
Andrew Jeffcoat (#279) Club 37
· 50m, 100m, 200m Backstroke
· 4x100 Medley Relay
Helena Gasson (#250) Coast
· 50m Butterfly
· 100m Backstroke
Carter Swift (#282) Club 37
· 4x100 Mixed Free Relay
Hazel Ouwehand (#283) Phoenix Aquatics
· 50m Butterfly
Joshua Gilbert - Club 37
· 50, 100, 200 Breast
· 4x100 Medley Relay
Luan Grobbelaar - Neptune
· 400m Individual Medley
Summer Osborne - North Shore
· 4x200 Free Relay
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