Pascoe and Clareburt lead swim team for Birmingham

A 12 strong swimming team has been named to represent New Zealand at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Wellington’s Lewis Clareburt will compete in medley events in Birmingham.
Photo: Photosport Ltd 2021 / John Cowpland

The team is headlined by experienced campaigners Olympians Lewis Clareburt and Erika Fairweather and Paralympian Dame Sophie Pascoe with seven of the 12 athletes set to make their Commonwealth Games debuts.

The squad is a made up of eight able bodied athletes and four para-athletes, with the para and abled bodied programmes set to run side by side in Birmingham.

At 17-years-old para-athlete Joshua Willmer is the youngest in the squad with Dame Sophie the oldest at 29.

The athletes are:

• Lewis Clareburt – Men’s 400 Individual Medley, Men’s 200 Individual Medley. Permission to Start in the Men’s 200 Free
• Erika Fairweather – Women’s 400 Freestyle. Permission to Start in the Women’s 200 Freestyle and Women’s 100 Freestyle
• Helena Gasson – Women’s 200 Individual Medley. Permission to start in the Women’s 200 Fly, Women’s 100 Fly, Women’s 50 Fly and Women’s 50 Backstroke
• Cameron Gray – Men’s 50 Fly. Permission to start in the Men’s 200 Freestyle, Men’s 100 Freestyle, Men’s 50 Freestyle and Men’s 50 Backstroke
• Andrew Jeffcoat – Men’s 100 Backstroke, Men’s 50 Backstroke. Permission to start in the Men’s 200 Backstroke
• Tupou Neiufi – 100 Backstroke S9 (S8), permission to start in 100 Freestyle S9 (S8)
• Hazel Ouwehand – Women’s 50 Fly. Permission to start in the Women’s 100 Backstroke, Women’s 50 Backstroke and Women’s 100 Fly
• Dame Sophie Pascoe – Women’s 100 Freestyle S9
• Eve Thomas – Women’s 800 Freestyle. Permission to start in the Women’s 400 Freestyle and Women’s 200 Freestyle
• Mya Rasmussen – Women’s 400 Individual Medley. Permission to start in the Women’s 200 Individual Medley and the Women’s 200 Breaststroke
• Jesse Reynolds – Men’s 100 Backstroke S9, permission to start in 100 Fly S10 (S9) and 100 Breaststroke SB8
• Joshua Willmer – Men’s 100 Breaststroke SB8, permission to start in 100 Backstroke S9 and 100 Fly S9

-RNZ