Competition Preview - 2025 Apollo Projects NZ Open Water Swimming Championships
The first national competition of the 2025 calendar year gets underway this weekend with the 2025 Apollo Projects NZ Open Water Swimming Championships held in conjunction with the Banana Boat NZ Ocean Swim Series in the beautiful Lake Taupo.
With 173 swimmers taking part in the championships and loads of participants taking part in the Epic Swim races, we have an action-packed weekend of racing in store across Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 January.
The race course consists of 1.25km laps swum in a clockwise direction with feeding from the beach for those in the 10km and 7.5km events. The shorter laps will be great for the spectators lakeside to see more of the action as the races unfold. The weather forecast looks good so we encourage everyone in the area to come and support our top swimmers from around the country race in the open water.
We have provided a brief preview of the races below, and a link to the latest information ahead of the championships below.
Saturday 11 January Preview
Reigning national champion in the Men's 10km, Alex Dunkley (Roskill), will be looking to add a third consecutive national title over the distance after another strong 2024 that included competing on the international stage at the 2024 World Aquatics Junior Open Water Swimming Championships in Sardinia last year. Louis Clark (North Shore) has returned for the 10km event for the second consecutive year after his silver medal in 2024 and will be hoping to go stroke for stroke with Dunkley as the pool distance swimmer extends out in the open water field. A total of seven males are tackling the longest distance we have on offer.
In the Women's 10km, three-time national champion, Aquablack Ruby Heath (Neptune & Swim Dunedin) will be hoping to go back-to-back after her win in 2024. Youngster Sophie Hay (Hamilton Aquatics & RPC Waikato) will be using her experience from the 2024 World Aquatics Junior Open Water Swimming Championships as she takes on the longest distance on offer for the first time. Abbey Smale (Wharenui) and Amogh Tyagi (North Shore) will also be laying down the challenge on Saturday morning.
In the Men's 7.5km, reigning title holder Jack Potier (Coast) is the other member of the junior team from Sardinia last year who will be hoping to win his 15 - 17 years age group. It will be worth keeping an eye on the 15-year-old Leo English (Swim Rotorua) as he takes on open water swimming after breaking multiple NZ Age Records in the pool in 2024. Ten male swimmers will be completing the six laps of the course.
For the Women's 7.5km, silver medallist of the 15 - 17 years age group, Olivia Bates (North Shore) will be hoping to climb up to the top step of the podium after her silver medal last year as she races a total of five females in her age group. 13-14 years champion from 2024, Milla Heal (Palmerston North) will have Elysia Rollo (Pukekohe) and Maeve McDonnell (Howick Pakuranga) battle out the order on the podium.
From 1pm, the 2.5km shorter distance will get underway with swimmers tackling two laps of the course. 40 males and 50 females are prepped to race, with medals on offer across open, 13 - 14 years, 15 - 17 years and Multi-Class. Blair Helms (North Shore) will hoping to add the 2.5km title to his 5km national title from 2024 in the men's field, with a strong field set to take it up to the 22-year-old. Chloe Peters (Hamilton Aquatics & RPC Waikato) is back to retain her national title in the women's field with plenty of competitors setting their sights on it themselves.
Sunday 12 January Preview
The 5km events will get underway from 8.30am on Sunday, with the special prize of a trip to South Africa to race in the aQuella Midmar Mile up for grabs for the overall male and female national champion.
Alex Dunkley will start as the favourite in the men's event, but there is a loaded field of swimmers staking their claim for the title. Reigning champion Blair Helms will be hard to beat, as will teammate Louis Clark. Those three are the headlines of start line that will consist of 36 males and this battle looks set to go down to the wire. Medals up for grabs in this event are open, 13 - 14 years and 15 - 17 years.
The Women's 5km will once again see Ruby Heath enter as the favourite with some other talented swimmers hoping to cause an upset. Reigning champion Ariella Riley (Hamilton Aquatics & RPC Waikato) will be hoping to retain her title across the four laps and silver medallist from 2024, and triathlete Alice Adams (Waterhole) will be one to keep an eye on as an outside chance since she joined Waterhole ahead of the championships. 30 females will meet at the start line to battle it out.
The last event of the championships will be the 4 x 1km Relay which will get underway from 11am. 12 teams will take to the start line across male, female and mixed teams. This event is always a popular one and a great way to round out the day. Reigning champions Roskill Swimming Club have not returned in 2025, so a new team will be crowned the fastest overall. North Shore have entered three teams (two male and one mixed) who all will be competitive, with Kiwi West Aquatics having three teams and Pukekohe two teams respectively.
Good luck to all of the swimmers taking part in 2025 Apollo Projects NZ Open Water Swimming Championships and the Epic Swim.
You can find more information about the championships including full list of entries and links to results on the day via the link below. Please also follow Swimming NZ on social media to receive updates during the weekend.
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