Swimming NZ Plotting Course for Future
While the focus is on next month’s Olympics in London, Swimming New Zealand is already casting an eye towards the 2016 Rio Games.
They have named six swimmers to travel to the USA for the US Open Championships while a further six teenagers will head to Hawaii for the Junior Pan Pacific Championships, both in August.
This group comprise swimmers who are not travelling to London and the most promising teenagers who collectively form part of the Road to Rio programme.
“The swimmers selected for the US Trials have excellent potential and they will prosper with more quality international competition,” said Mark O’Connor, Acting CEO, Swimming NZ.
“We have a number of outstanding young swimmers who have already made a mark internationally at age group level and the Junior Pan Pacific Championships will provide them with their first serious world class meet against the best of their age from USA, Australia, Canada, Japan and the Pacific Islands.
“Collectively this group will for a key nucleus looking ahead to the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Rio Olympics and beyond.”
The group going to the US Open Championships in Philadelphia were successful at the Olympic Trials winning six New Zealand titles between them with North Shore’s Samantha Richter also setting a new national record.
The team to the Junior Pan Pacific Championships s is headed by outstanding Canterbury swimmers Sophia Batchelor (AquaGym) and Natasha Lloyd (North Canterbury) who won four national titles between them with Batchelor finishing just 1/100th of a second outside of qualifying for London.
Swimming New Zealand will also send a strong team to next month’s Trans Tasman series against Australia with three texts over seven days in Canberra, Wagga Wagga and Melbourne for the leading age group swimmers on both sides of the Tasman.
The teams are:
US Open Championships: 7-11 August
Mitchell Donaldson (North Shore, HPC), Kurt Bassett (Laser Mt Eden), Shaun Burnett (North Shore, HPC), Nathan Capp (Greerton, HPC), Samantha Richter (North Shore), Nielsen Varoy (Roskill),
Coach: Thomas Ansorg (North Shore)
Junior Pan Pacific Championships, Hawaii, 23-27 August:
Jeffrey Arona-Tuifanae (Howick Pakuranga), ), Sophia Batchelor (AquaGym), Natasha Lloyd (North Canterbury), Corey Main (Howick Pakuranga), Michael Mincham (Waterhole), Emma Robinson (Capital, WRHPC
Open water: Grace Sommerville (Ashburton), Ben Ruback (Masterton).
Coaches: Leanne Speechley (AquaGym), Philip Rush (Swimming NZ, Open Water Coach)
Trans Tasman 1-7 July
Canberra, Wagga Wagga, Melbourne
Male: Kyle Barnes (Capital), Cameron Blair (KiwiWest, Manawatu), William Campbell (Wharenui), Carter Edgecombe (Fairfield, Waikato), Matthew Hutchins (Wharenui, Chch), Julian Layton (Aquahawks, Napier), Bayley Main (Howick Pakuranga), Robert McDonald (Collegiate, Southland), Samuel Perry (St Peters, Waikato), George Schroder (Aquagym, Chch), Ben Walsh (Porirua City), Julian Weir (AquaBladz, Taranaki).
Female: Caroline Baddock (Laser Mt Eden), Hayley Edmond (North Shore), Monique King (North Shore), Georgia Marris (United, Auckland), Emily McGill (Capital), JoMari Meyer (Greendale, Hawkes Bay), Melita Raravula (Northwave, Whangarei), Liana Smith (Pukekohe), Naomi Smit (Sun Devils, Hawkes Bay) Brittany Tucker (QEII, Chch), Rima Williams (Laser Mt Eden, Auckland).
Coaches: Philip Rush (Swimming NZ), Noel Hardgrave-Booth (Greendale, Hawkes Bay), Jude Fawcett (Wellington), Glen Hamblyn (Laser Mt Eden), Martin Harris Wharenui). Officials: Yvonne Voss (Tokoroa), Minoo Ghadiali (Manurewa).