Day 6 Wrap – Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Day six of racing in Paris was highlighted by our Women's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay team becoming the first Kiwi women to make an Olympic relay final, where they finished eighth in the world.
The team progressed through to the final after finishing fourth in their heat to qualify eighth fastest. Erika Fairweather (Neptune & Swim Dunedin - 1:56.04 split) got the team off to a great start to lead at the first change. Eve Thomas (Coast - 1:59.29 split) had a near perfect change over before settling in to her work and sit in fourth at the halfway mark. The team was back-ended by Olympic debutants Caitlin Deans (Neptune & Swim Dunedin - 1:59.11 split) and Laticia Transom (Club 37 - 1:59.93 split) who continued the momentum to bring home the team in the second fastest time ever produced by New Zealand in the relay event (7:54.37).
The relay order remained the same for the final, with Fairweather leading off the team in a stacked final. The other teams were fast from the get-go, seeing New Zealand settle into eighth from early on in the final. Fairweather was slightly off her heat swim (1:56.82 split) before handing over to Thomas (1:59.48 split). Deans produced her second sub-two minutes swim of the day (1:59.79 split) as she demonstrated her form over the distance, before Transom brought home the team in an improved split from the heats (1:59.80 split). Together, the team combined for eighth in the world (7:55.89), a huge improvement from New Zealand's 12th place finish three years ago in Tokyo.
The battle for the medals was close during the first three legs, before Ariarne Titmus anchored Australia to victory in an Olympic Record (7:38.08). After a strong swim from Katie Ledecky in the third leg, USA claimed silver (7:40.86) ahead of China (7:42.34) for bronze.
It was an impressive result for the girls, with the quartet making history as the first Kiwi women to make an Olympic relay final.
Speaking to Sky Sport after the final, Laticia Transom was proud of how the team performed in making an Olympic final.
"I'm speechless, we have been talking about this for a year and to think that we actually accomplished it as a group is really special. It was about giving it our all. It was off our best but I'm still really proud."
Caitlin Deans touched on what it meant to her to represent New Zealand at an Olympic Games.
"Just making this team was a dream come true and I think getting that finals spot was so special and to be with these girls was awesome."
Eve Thomas loved having the opportunity to be part of this relay team in Paris.
"The crowd here tonight and every other night so far through this Olympic Games has been absolutely phenomenal and the energy is unbelievable. It's such a privilege to represent New Zealand in an Olympic final."
Congratulations to our relay team of Fairweather, Thomas, Deans and Transom on being the first New Zealand women's relay team to make an Olympic final and finishing eighth in the world.
Lewis Clareburt (Club 37) attacked the final event of his Olympic schedule, taking on the Men's 200m Individual Medley.
Clareburt produced a strong heat swim (1:58.84) to place second in his heat and qualify equal eleventh fastest for the semi-finals. In the semi-final, Clareburt was amongst a star-studded field, including French Leon Marchand. The pace was fast from the start, as Marchand (1:56.31) and Daiya Seto (Japan - 1:56.59) booked themselves the middle lanes for the final. While Clareburt couldn't improve from his morning swim (2:00.06), he put in a great effort over the final 50m to touch the wall seventh and finish 14th overall.
Clareburt spoke with Sky Sport after the semi-final.
"It was a tough way to end the campaign, not sneaking under 2 minutes and not making it into the final. That was a quick field and I knew it was going to be hard to get through."
Clareburt is already looking ahead to Los Angeles in 2028.
"I'm looking forward to taking a break and then hopefully coming back stronger."
Clareburt concludes his second Olympic campaign with sixth (400m Individual Medley), 14th (200m Individual Medley) and 21st (200m Butterfly) place finishes. Congratulations to Lewis Clareburt, coach Mitch Nairn and his support team for his performances in Paris.
Taiko Torepe-Ormsby (Wharenui) made his Olympic and Aquablack debut in the Men's 50m Freestyle. Racing outside of the seeded heats, Torepe-Ormsby got off to a good start from the centre lane, and got his hand on the wall second just outside his New Zealand Record. It was the second fastest performance by a New Zealand swimmer in history. Once the heats were completed, Torepe-Ormsby missed out on progressing to the semi-finals by the slimmest of margins, finishing 19th overall.
Speaking with Sky Sport, Torepe-Ormsby was blown away by the feeling of representing New Zealand on the biggest stage.
"It's absolutely incredible, you can never dream or imagine this. The way this crowd gets behind you is something that I've never had before and it's something I can learn from and improve on moving forward."
Congratulations to Taiko Torepe-Ormsby on fulfilling a childhood dream and for making his debut as Aquablack #288.
During the finals session, there were other impressive performances of note with some close races.
The Women's 200m Butterfly final saw the Canadian teen sensation, Summer McIntosh, back in action. Zhang Yufei (China) took out the pace early over the first 100m, being under World Record pace at the first turn. McIntosh made her move in the second 50m, not wanting to give up a lead, before establishing her position in the crucial third 50m. Regan Smith (USA) executed excellent underwaters off each wall to move into second following the final turn. However, there was no catching McIntosh as she blitzed the final lap to win her second gold medal of the Games, notching an Olympic Record and World Junior Record (2:03.03). Smith (2:03.84) added a second silver medal to her haul with Zhang taking the bronze (2:05.09).
All eight swimmers in the final of the Men's 200m Backstroke were first time Olympic finalists, so a new Olympic Champion was guaranteed. Greek Apostolos Christou set the pace from the start in lane two, utilising his underwater skills to establish a healthy lead over the opening 150m. Hubert Kos (Hungary - 1:54.26) moved up alongside him off the final wall, moving into the lead over the final 25m to win his first gold medal. Christou (1:54.85) held off the fast-finishing Swiss Roman Mityukov (1:54.85) to round out the podium.
The Women's 200m Breaststroke final saw reigning Olympic Champion, Tatjana Smith (South Africa) trying to achieve the breaststroke double in Paris. She took the lead on the opening lap, before Kate Douglass (USA) made her move over the second 50m. Douglass (2:19.24) was slightly stronger than Smith on each pullout, helping her maintain her lead into the final lap before she dropping the hammer to lengthen her lead and win her first individual gold medal. Smith (2:19.60) added a silver medal to her impressive CV, with Tes Schouten (Netherlands - 2:21.05) winning bronze.
Action from day seven in Paris gets underway tonight, with Erika Fairweather and Eve Thomas returning to the pool for the Women's 800m Freestyle. This will be their final event of the Games, in what has been a busy schedule for both of them. Cameron Gray is set to line up in the Men's 100m Butterfly for his second event of these Games also. Racing starts from 9pm on Friday 2 August NZST.
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 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.
Day Seven Heats – from 9pm NZST
Men’s 100m Butterfly (Gray)
Women’s 800m Freestyle (Fairweather & Thomas)
Saturday 3 August
Day Seven Finals – from 6.30am NZST
Men’s 100m Butterfly Semi-Final (Gray*) – 7am
Sunday 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
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