Day 1 Wrap – Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Erika Fairweather (Neptune & Swim Dunedin) has had the best result for a New Zealand swimmer at an Olympics since Lauren Boyle in London 2012, finishing fourth in the Women's 400m Freestyle.
The event was billed as one of the races to watch in Paris to kick start the swimming competition on day one, with a field that included our reigning World Champion, Erika Fairweather (Neptune & Swim Dunedin), the World Record holder and reigning Olympic Champion, Ariarne Titmus (Australia), and former World Record holders Katie Ledecky (USA) and Summer McIntosh (Canada).
The heats took place on Saturday night (NZST) and saw Fairweather progress through by winning her heat (4:02.55) against McIntosh to qualify third fastest for the final, with Ledecky seeded the fastest.
In the final, Titmus and McIntosh made their intentions clear from the start by taking it out hard to establish a strong lead over the first 200m, with Fairweather in the mid-pack at the halfway point. Titmus (3:57.49) looked strong as she pulled clear of McIntosh (3:58.37) for the gold and silver respectively, while Fairweather displayed her trademark strong finish as she was rapidly taking water away from Ledecky. It came down to the finish, with Ledecky (4:00.86) getting her hand on the wall to claim the bronze and her 11th Olympic medal, with Fairweather (4:01.12) just 0.26 seconds behind in fourth.
Speaking with Sky Sport, Fairweather showed how she was disappointed with the result during her poolside interview.
"You can be gutted but I'm so grateful for the support I've received. I just wish it was more today but that's okay. I might be crying right now but that does not mean I'm not proud of myself. Making the Olympics is a massive achievement in itself, to make an Olympic final again and be fourth in the world."
While Fairweather may be a bit disappointed in the result, New Zealand is extremely proud of, and inspired by, her performance. Congratulations to Erika Fairweather, coach Lars Humer and her support team on placing fourth at the Olympics - New Zealand's best result at a Games since 2012.
Eve Thomas (Coast) also competed in the 400m Freestyle, finishing outside her personal best to place eighth in her heat and 17th overall (4:11.86).
Hazel Ouwehand (Phoenix Aquatics) made her Olympic debut, taking the on the Women's 100m Butterfly. The NZ Record holder got off to an impressive start and looked strong through the first 50m to turn third at halfway, before a close finish over the final lap saw her finish fifth in her heat and place 18th overall (58.03) - narrowly missing out on a spot in the semi-finals.
Ouwehand's result marks the third best time of her career and her best performance on the international stage.
We have three Kiwis in action on day two with Fairweather returning for the 200m Freestyle, Clareburt diving in for his favoured 400m Individual Medley and Kane Follows debuting in the 100m Backstroke. The heats get under way from 9pm NZST tonight.
Day Two
Heats (from 9pm NZST – Sunday 28 July)
Men’s 400m Individual Medley (Clareburt)
Men’s 100m Backstroke (Follows)
Women’s 200m Freestyle (Fairweather)
Potential Finals Swims (from 6.30am NZST – Monday 29 July)
Men’s 400m Individual Medley Final (Clareburt – 6.30am)
Women’s 100m Butterfly Final (Ouwehand – 6.40am)
Men’s 100m Backstroke Semi-Final (Follows – 7.32am)
Women’s 200m Freestyle Semi-Final (Fairweather – 7.50am)
Another of the must watch races in Paris comes on day two, where our reigning world champion Lewis Clareburt will be taking on the men’s 400m individual medley against a world-class field including world record holder Leon Marchand. With Marchand breaking Michael Phelps’ last remaining world record in 2023, all eyes will be on the clock. However, the battle for the medals will be close and Clareburt heads into Paris in great form. Whilst his entry time ranks him seventh, he has been faster than that time already this year.
Erika Fairweather will return to the pool again on day two for her shortest distance event of the Games, taking on the women’s 200m freestyle. The New Zealand record holder enters the event as the eighth fastest seed, with potential to climb the ranks given she has been faster than her entry time this year. The event is another one where the world will be watching, with Australia’s Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan set to go head-to-head as the two fastest women in the history.
Kane Follows will make his debut on day two, contesting the men’s 100m backstroke. This event doesn’t have much separating the top seeds, with American Ryan Murphy heading in the fastest and hoping to add to his gold from Rio and bronze from Tokyo in the event.
Day Three
Potential Finals Swims (from 6.30am NZST – Tuesday 30 July)
Men’s 100m Backstroke Final (7.19am)
Women’s 200m Freestyle Final (7.41am)
We don’t have any Kiwis scheduled for action in the heats on day three, however we potentially have some in the finals if Follows (men’s 100m backstroke) and/or Fairweather (women’s 200m freestyle) progress from the semi-finals.
Day Four
Heats (from 9pm NZST – Tuesday 30 July)
Men’s 200m Butterfly (Clareburt)
Men’s 100m Freestyle (Gray)
Women’s 1500m Freestyle (Thomas)
Potential Finals Swims (from 6.30pm NZST – Wednesday 31 July)
Men’s 100m Freestyle Semi-Final (Gray - 6.30am)
Men’s 200m Butterfly Semi-Final (Clareburt - 6.42am)
Cameron Gray opens his Olympic campaign with the men’s 100m freestyle on day four. The New Zealand record holder is in great form, after placing 14th in the event at the recent World Championships in Doha and breaking the national record earlier this year. All eyes will be on the 100m freestyle, as the blue-ribbon event shapes up to be another competitive one. David Popovici and Pan Zhanle have been break out stars since the previous Games, having each broken the world record in recent years, however Rio Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers will be looking to play spoiler.
Lewis Clareburt will be back in the pool for the men’s 200m butterfly, where the Commonwealth Games champion will be up against France’s Leon Marchand and reigning Olympic champion and world record holder Kristof Milak.
Eve Thomas returns to the pool for the longest event on the programme, the women’s 1500m freestyle. Thomas will once again be up against the mighty Katie Ledecky, who has never been beaten over the distance at the senior international level.
Day Five
Heats (from 9pm NZST – Wednesday 31 July)
Men’s 200m Backstroke (Follows)
Potential Finals Swims (from 6.30am NZST – Thursday 1 August)
Men’s 200m Butterfly Final (Clareburt – 6.36am)
Women’s 1500m Freestyle Final (Thomas – 7.07am)
Men’s 200m Backstroke Semi-Final (Follows – 7.37am)
Men’s 100m Freestyle Final (Gray – 8.22am)
Kane Follows returns for his favoured event on day five – the men’s 200m backstroke. The New Zealand record holder is the only one of our swimmers racing in the heats of day five, however there is potential for a number of Kiwis to be amongst the action during the finals session.
Day Six
Heats (from 9pm NZST – Thursday 1 August)
Men’s 50m Freestyle (Torepe-Ormsby)
Men’s 200m Individual Medley (Clareburt)
Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay (Fairweather, Transom, Thomas, Deans)
Potential Finals Swims (from 6.30am NZST – Friday 2 August)
Men’s 200m Backstroke Final (Follows – 6.37am)
Men’s 50m Freestyle Semi-Final (Torepe-Ormsby – 6.44am)
Men’s 200m Individual Medley Semi-Final (Clareburt – 7.35am)
Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay Final (Fairweather, Transom, Thomas, Deans – 7.49am)
Day six gets off to a fast start, with Taiko Torepe-Ormsby debuting in the men’s 50m freestyle. The fastest Kiwi of all time arrives in Paris in excellent form, breaking the New Zealand record in April to qualify for the team. Always a popular event at the Games, this event could see the world record under pressure, as Australia’s Cameron McEvoy closes in on dipping under 21 seconds. With the barest of margins separating the field, it will be another one to watch.
Our women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team will also take to the pool on day six, where Caitlin Deans and Laticia Transom will make their Olympic debut alongside Erika Fairweather and Eve Thomas. Fresh off their fifth-place finish in Doha, the team will be full of confidence having broken the New Zealand record earlier this year. With all four swimmers in good form, the team looks like they are shaping up to go faster again.
Lewis Clareburt returns to pool for the heats of his final event of the Games – the men’s 200m individual medley. Clareburt arrives in Paris as the 13th fastest seed in the event, having been a finalist in Tokyo.
Day Seven
Heats (from 9pm NZST – Friday 2 August)
Men’s 100m Butterfly (Gray)
Women’s 800m Freestyle (Fairweather & Thomas)
Potential Finals Swims (from 6.30am NZST – Saturday 3 August)
Men’s 50m Freestyle Final (Torepe-Ormsby – 6.30am)
Men’s 200m Individual Medley Final (Clareburt – 6.43am)
Men’s 100m Butterfly Semi-Final (Gray – 7am)
Erika Fairweather and Eve Thomas head into the women’s 800m freestyle as the eighth and ninth fastest seeds, respectively. This will be another competitive event to watch, with the battle in the heats bound to be close as they vie for a spot in the final.
Cameron Gray takes on another stacked field in the men’s 100m butterfly, featuring reigning Olympic champion and world record holder, Caeleb Dressel, who continues his return to competitive swimming after some time off.
Day Eight
Potential Finals Swims (from 6.30am NZST - Sunday 4 August)
Men’s 100m Butterfly Final (Gray – 6.30am)
Women’s 800m Freestyle Final (Fairweather & Thomas – 7.08am)
The penultimate day of the swimming in Paris is the final day we could see our Kiwis in action, with potential finals spots available for Fairweather and Thomas in the women’s 800m freestyle and Gray in the men’s 100m butterfly.
Don’t miss any of the action on Sky Sport during these Games. For those who don’t have Sky Sport on a regular basis, you can stream all 12 channels and more via their Olympics Pass for a special rate (available for purchase from Thursday 25 July), or you can watch free coverage of selected live content and highlights free-to-air on Sky Open (freeview channel 15).
Follow Swimming NZ on Instagram (@swimming_nz) and Facebook, and keep an eye on our website, to stay up to date with all the swimming action from Paris.
You can also download the NZ Team app to track your favourite sports and Kiwi athletes as they strive for gold in Paris.
Swimmer Entries
Kane Follows
100m Back (Entry time: 54.46)
200m Back (Entry time: 1:57.13 – NZ Record)
Lewis Clareburt
200m Butterfly (Entry time: 1:55.82)
200m IM (Entry time: 1:57.36)
400m IM (Entry time: 4:09.72 – 7th fastest seed)
Cameron Gray
100m Butterfly (Entry time: 52.53)
100m Freestyle (Entry time: 48.26 – NZ Record)
Taiko Torepe-Ormsby
50m Freestyle (Entry time: 22.86 – NZ Record)
Hazel Ouwehand
100m Butterfly (Entry time: 57.43 – NZ Record)
Eve Thomas
1500m Freestyle (Entry time: 16:07.46)
400m Freestyle (Entry time: 4:05.87 - 13th fastest seed)
800m Freestyle (Entry time: 8:22.27 – 9th fastest seed)
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay (Entry time: 7:53.02 – NZ Record)
Erika Fairweather
200m Freestyle (Entry time: 1:55.45 – 8th fastest seed)
400m Freestyle (Entry time: 3:59.44 – NZ Record – 4th fastest seed)
800m Freestyle (Entry time: 8:21.06 – 8th fastest seed)
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay (Entry time: 7:53.02 – NZ Record)
Caitlin Deans & Laticia Transom
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay (Entry time: 7:53.02 – NZ Record)
Daily Schedule
*start times are subject to change, while semi-finals and finals are subject to athlete progression.
Saturday 27 July
Day One Heats – from 9pm NZST
Women’s 100m Butterfly (Ouwehand)
Women’s 400m Freestyle (Fairweather & Thomas)
Sunday 28 July
Day One Finals – from 6.30am NZST
Women’s 100m Butterfly Semi-Final (Ouwehand*) – 6.30am
Women’s 400m Freestyle Final (Fairweather* & Thomas*) – 6.52am
Day Two Heats – from 9pm NZST
Men’s 400m IM (Clareburt)
Men’s 100m Backstroke (Follows)
Women’s 200m Freestyle (Fairweather)
Monday 29 July
Day Two Finals – from 6.30am NZST
Men’s 400m IM Final (Clareburt*) – 6.30am
Women’s 100m Butterfly Final (Ouwehand*) – 6.40am
Men’s 100m Backstroke Semi-Final (Follows*) – 7.32am
Women’s 200m Freestyle Semi-Final (Fairweather*) – 7.50am
Tuesday 30 July
Day Three Finals – from 6.30am NZST
Men’s 100m Backstroke Final (Follows*) – 7.19am
Women’s 200m Freestyle Final (Fairweather*) – 7.41am
Day Four Heats – from 9pm NZST
Men’s 200m Butterfly (Clareburt)
Men’s 100m Freestyle (Gray)
Women’s 1500m Freestyle (Thomas)
Wednesday 31 July
Day Four Finals – from 6.30pm NZST
Men’s 100m Freestyle Semi-Final (Gray*) – 6.30am
Men’s 200m Butterfly Semi-Final (Clareburt*) – 6.42am
Day Five Heats – from 9pm NZST
Men’s 200m Backstroke (Follows)
Thursday 1 August
Day Five Finals – from 6.30am NZST
Men’s 200m Butterfly Final (Clareburt*) – 6.36am
Women’s 1500m Freestyle Final (Thomas*) – 7.07am
Men’s 200m Backstroke Semi-Final (Follows*) – 7.37am
Men’s 100m Freestyle Final (Gray*) – 8.22am
Day Six Heats – from 9pm NZST
Men’s 50m Freestyle (Torepe-Ormsby)
Men’s 200m Individual Medley (Clareburt)
Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay (Fairweather, Transom, Thomas, Deans)
Friday 2 August
Day Six Finals – from 6.30am NZST
Men’s 200m Backstroke Final (Follows*) – 6.37am
Men’s 50m Freestyle Semi-Final (Torepe-Ormsby*) – 6.44am
Men’s 200m Individual Medley Semi-Final (Clareburt*) – 7.35am
Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay Final (Fairweather, Transom, Thomas, Deans*) – 7.49am
Day Seven Heats – from 9pm NZST
Men’s 100m Butterfly (Gray)
Women’s 800m Freestyle (Fairweather & Thomas)
Sunday 3 August
Day Seven Finals – from 6.30am NZST
Men’s 50m Freestyle Final (Torepe-Ormsby*) – 6.30am
Men’s 200m Individual Medley Final (Clareburt*) – 6.43am
Men’s 100m Butterfly Semi-Final (Gray*) – 7am
Monday 4 August
Day Eight Finals – from 6.30am NZST
Men’s 100m Butterfly Final (Gray*) – 6.30am
Women’s 800m Freestyle Final (Fairweather* & Thomas*) – 7.08am
Comments