2022 World Para Swimming Championships - Madeira, Portugal
The Team
We're proud to have five athletes in the water at the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships held in Funchal, Portugal. Featuring an exciting mix of veterans and newcomers, the team is led by Paralympic Gold Medalists Cameron Leslie and Nikita Howarth, who have over two decades of international experience between them. It's a particularly rewarding experience for Cameron Leslie, who had this to day about being on his first international team since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
"I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty excited to be back racing. For me it’s the first overseas trip for 2.5 years so that’s exciting in itself, but we also have a new generation making their debut too which is pretty cool to be part of. Plenty for the youngsters to learn but that’s part of life and they’re actually doing a really good job. Can’t wait to get racing."
Proving that the future is already upon us, we're proud to have three young debutants competing at their first World Para Swimming Championships. Gaby Smith, Joshua Willmer and Lili-Fox Mason will all be in action competing in a mixture of both individual and team relay events. Rising to the occasion, our young athletes are loving the atmosphere and new challenge. For Joshua Willmer, who's sharing a room with Cameron Leslie, there's been plenty of opportunities to learn from the best both in and out of the water.
"There's been lots of learning really. Surrounding myself with good athletes like Cam has been positive and seeing how he prepares is helping me connect the skills we've been learning in training with how to race fast."
Competition is from the 12-18th of June and you can catch all of our athletes in action live and free via the links below.
Watch Live
All of the heats and finals sessions are available to watch live and free via the Paralympic Games Youtube channel:
Follow the Latest
Make sure you're following @swimming_nz on social media to keep to date with the latest athlete interviews, results and excitement from the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships.
Nikita Howarth
Coach: Mat Woofe
Club: Hamilton Aquatics
Events: - 50 Butterfly - 100 Breaststroke - 100 Backstroke
Follow Nikita on social media @nikita_howarth
Cameron Leslie
Coach: Tom Onley
Club: Whangarei Swim Club
Events: - 50 Freestyle - 100 Freestyle - 50 Backstroke
Follow Cameron on social media @camtron1990
Lili-Fox Mason
Coach: Matt Houston
Club: Wharenui Swim Club
Events: - 400 Freestyle - 100 Butterfly - 200 Individual Medley
Follow Lili-Fox on social media @lilifoxmason.swim
Joshua Willmer
Coach: Sheldon Kemp and Shaun Foley
Club: Pukekohe Swim Club
Events: - 100 Breaststroke
Follow Joshua on social media @joshua_willmer
Gaby Smith
Coach: Carl Gordon
Club: Wharenui Swim Club
Events: - 400 Freestyle - 100 Backstroke - 100 Breastroke - 200 Individual Medley
Follow Gaby on social media @gabyy.smithh
Competition Schedule
View the up to date schedule and live results via the official event website here:
Comments