Auckland’s Hazel Ouwehand and Christchurch’s Lili-Fox Mason have swum under the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics qualification times at the 2024 New Zealand Swimming Championships.
Competing at the Hawke’s Bay Regional Aquatics Centre, Ouwehand and Mason were not leaving anything to chance, swimming the required times in the heats session of day three of competition.
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Ouwehand came into the meet in career-best form, on Wednesday breaking the NZ record in the 50m butterfly.
She charged home in the 100m butterfly in a New Zealand record time of 57.43 seconds, almost half-a-second under the Paris Olympics qualifying time.
“I really wanted to do the time this morning and get that weight off my shoulders, I’d swum it last month so I knew I had it in me,” said Ouwehand.
“I felt like jelly right before getting on the block, the last 15-20m hurt like hell and I’m so tired now but I’m so, so happy with that.”
Earlier Lili-Fox Mason swam the best she had in years in the women’s 400m freestyle multi-class, the S10 swimmer touching the wall in 4 minutes 58.00 seconds to go under the Paralympic qualification time.
“I’m super stoked with that swim, yesterday didn’t go to plan so to come back and do what I needed to do was a real relief,” said Mason.
“After an injury last year, I’ve been putting in lots of training and I’m really happy with that time and where I’m at."
More than 180 athletes, including world champions Lewis Clareburt and Erika Fairweather, are competing at the 2024 NZ Swimming Championships, being held in Hawke's Bay.
The event is the final opportunity for New Zealand’s top swimmers to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.
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