Our Swimming representatives of nine swimmers, four coaches and two support staff have arrived in Paris, after completing their preparation camps in Mallorca and Monaco. With one of our strongest New Zealand swimming teams in history, it’s bound to be an exciting week of racing at the Olympic Games.
The team will be led by reigning world champions Erika Fairweather (Neptune & Swim Dunedin – coached by Lars Humer) and Lewis Clareburt (Club 37 – coached by Mitch Nairn), and Eve Thomas (Coast – coached by Dean Boxall), with all three swimmers competing at their second Olympics.
Joining them we have four swimmers who have represented New Zealand proudly on the international stage as Aquablacks, making their first appearance at an Olympic Games in Paris. We look forward to seeing Caitlin Deans (Neptune & Swim Dunedin – coached by Lars Humer), Hazel Ouwehand (Phoenix Aquatics – coached by David Lyles), Cameron Gray (Coast – coached my Michael Weston) and Laticia Transom (Club 37 – coached by Bobby Jovanovich) bring their experience to the big stage.
Kane Follows (Neptune & Swim Dunedin – coached by Lars Humer) and Taiko Torepe-Ormsby (Wharenui & University of Wisconsin – coached by Cauli Bedran) are ready to take on the world in Paris, with the Games marking their debut at a pinnacle international competition.
Team Announcement from 30 April
The team recently arrived in Paris and are settling into the Athlete’s Village ahead of racing getting underway on Saturday 27 July (from 9pm NZST). The team was welcomed to the village by their fellow New Zealand team members and received their pounamu necklace.
SNZ’s Olympic Programme Lead and Team Leader, Gary Francis, has been impressed with the preparation over the past couple of weeks.
“The team have arrived in Paris off the back of the preparation camps in great shape, fully focused and ready to fine tune their own individual preparations.”
Francis is also pleased with how quickly the team has settled into Paris.
“The first two days in the village have seen a smooth transition from camp, every swimmer getting straight into their final training programme with all in a strong and positive frame of mind. They are all getting very excited by the prospect of racing in a few days’ time.”
Hazel Ouwehand is ready to race on the first day of competition.
“It’s great to finally be inside the village, making everything more real. Let the Games begin!”
Anticipation is building across the city as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games get underway this weekend, with swimming one of the headline sports kicking off on the first day of competition. Racing is set to begin on Saturday 27 July from 9pm NZST, beginning with heats on day one. All heats sessions are scheduled to start at 9pm NZST, with finals sessions due to start at 6.30am NZST the following morning.
For swimming events with 50m, 100m or 200m distances, there will be heats, semi-finals (top 16) and a final (top 8), whereas the longer swimming events of 400m, 800m and 1500m will only have heats and a final (top 8).
Check out our preview of our Kiwis in action each day below.
Day One
Heats (from 9pm NZST – Saturday 27 July)
- Women’s 100m Butterfly (Ouwehand)
- Women’s 400m Freestyle (Fairweather & Thomas)
Potential Finals Swims (from 6.30am NZST – Sunday 28 July)
- Women’s 100m Butterfly Semi-Final (Ouwehand) – 6.30am
- Women’s 400m Freestyle Final (Fairweather & Thomas) – 6.52am
It’s hard to look past one of the most anticipated races in Paris, with Erika Fairweather and Eve Thomas both taking on the women’s 400m freestyle. With four of the five fastest women ever over the distance on the blocks, including our own reigning world champion Fairweather alongside reigning Olympic champion and world record holder Australia’s Ariarne Titmus and USA’s Katie Ledecky, it’s a race you don’t want to miss. Fairweather heads into day one with the fourth fastest entry time and Thomas the 13th fastest. The heats will be from 9pm on Saturday 27 July and the final at 6.52am on Sunday 28 July.
Hazel Ouwehand will be the other Kiwi in action on day one, taking on the women’s 100m butterfly. Ouwehand has shown outstanding form over the past six months, breaking the New Zealand record twice and qualifying for Paris with an entry time that ranks her 16th.
Day Two
Heats (from 9pm NZST – Sunday 28 July)
- Men’s 400m Individual Medley (Clareburt)
- Men’s 100m Backstroke (Follows)
- Women’s 200m Freestyle (Fairweather)
Potential Finals Swims (from 6.30am NZST – Monday 29 July)
- Men’s 400m Individual Medley Final (Clareburt – 6.30am)
- Women’s 100m Butterfly Final (Ouwehand – 6.40am)
- Men’s 100m Backstroke Semi-Final (Follows – 7.32am)
- Women’s 200m Freestyle Semi-Final (Fairweather – 7.50am)
Another of the must watch races in Paris comes on day two, where our reigning world champion Lewis Clareburt will be taking on the men’s 400m individual medley against a world-class field including world record holder Leon Marchand. With Marchand breaking Michael Phelps’ last remaining world record in 2023, all eyes will be on the clock. However, the battle for the medals will be close and Clareburt heads into Paris in great form. Whilst his entry time ranks him seventh, he has been faster than that time already this year.
Erika Fairweather will return to the pool again on day two for her shortest distance event of the Games, taking on the women’s 200m freestyle. The New Zealand record holder enters the event as the eighth fastest seed, with potential to climb the ranks given she has been faster than her entry time this year. The event is another one where the world will be watching, with Australia’s Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan set to go head-to-head as the two fastest women in the history.
Kane Follows will make his debut on day two, contesting the men’s 100m backstroke. This event doesn’t have much separating the top seeds, with American Ryan Murphy heading in the fastest and hoping to add to his gold from Rio and bronze from Tokyo in the event.
Day Three
Potential Finals Swims (from 6.30am NZST – Tuesday 30 July)
- Men’s 100m Backstroke Final (7.19am)
- Women’s 200m Freestyle Final (7.41am)
We don’t have any Kiwis scheduled for action in the heats on day three, however we potentially have some in the finals if Follows (men’s 100m backstroke) and/or Fairweather (women’s 200m freestyle) progress from the semi-finals.
Day Four
Heats (from 9pm NZST – Tuesday 30 July)
- Men’s 200m Butterfly (Clareburt)
- Men’s 100m Freestyle (Gray)
- Women’s 1500m Freestyle (Thomas)
Potential Finals Swims (from 6.30pm NZST – Wednesday 31 July)
- Men’s 100m Freestyle Semi-Final (Gray - 6.30am)
- Men’s 200m Butterfly Semi-Final (Clareburt - 6.42am)
Cameron Gray opens his Olympic campaign with the men’s 100m freestyle on day four. The New Zealand record holder is in great form, after placing 14th in the event at the recent World Championships in Doha and breaking the national record earlier this year. All eyes will be on the 100m freestyle, as the blue-ribbon event shapes up to be another competitive one. David Popovici and Pan Zhanle have been break out stars since the previous Games, having each broken the world record in recent years, however Rio Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers will be looking to play spoiler.
Lewis Clareburt will be back in the pool for the men’s 200m butterfly, where the Commonwealth Games champion will be up against France’s Leon Marchand and reigning Olympic champion and world record holder Kristof Milak.
Eve Thomas returns to the pool for the longest event on the programme, the women’s 1500m freestyle. Thomas will once again be up against the mighty Katie Ledecky, who has never been beaten over the distance at the senior international level.
Day Five
Heats (from 9pm NZST – Wednesday 31 July)
- Men’s 200m Backstroke (Follows)
Potential Finals Swims (from 6.30am NZST – Thursday 1 August)
- Men’s 200m Butterfly Final (Clareburt – 6.36am)
- Women’s 1500m Freestyle Final (Thomas – 7.07am)
- Men’s 200m Backstroke Semi-Final (Follows – 7.37am)
- Men’s 100m Freestyle Final (Gray – 8.22am)
Kane Follows returns for his favoured event on day five – the men’s 200m backstroke. The New Zealand record holder is the only one of our swimmers racing in the heats of day five, however there is potential for a number of Kiwis to be amongst the action during the finals session.
Day Six
Heats (from 9pm NZST – Thursday 1 August)
- Men’s 50m Freestyle (Torepe-Ormsby)
- Men’s 200m Individual Medley (Clareburt)
- Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay (Fairweather, Transom, Thomas, Deans)
Potential Finals Swims (from 6.30am NZST – Friday 2 August)
- Men’s 200m Backstroke Final (Follows – 6.37am)
- Men’s 50m Freestyle Semi-Final (Torepe-Ormsby – 6.44am)
- Men’s 200m Individual Medley Semi-Final (Clareburt – 7.35am)
- Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay Final (Fairweather, Transom, Thomas, Deans – 7.49am)
Day six gets off to a fast start, with Taiko Torepe-Ormsby debuting in the men’s 50m freestyle. The fastest Kiwi of all time arrives in Paris in excellent form, breaking the New Zealand record in April to qualify for the team. Always a popular event at the Games, this event could see the world record under pressure, as Australia’s Cameron McEvoy closes in on dipping under 21 seconds. With the barest of margins separating the field, it will be another one to watch.
Our women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team will also take to the pool on day six, where Caitlin Deans and Laticia Transom will make their Olympic debut alongside Erika Fairweather and Eve Thomas. Fresh off their fifth-place finish in Doha, the team will be full of confidence having broken the New Zealand record earlier this year. With all four swimmers in good form, the team looks like they are shaping up to go faster again.
Lewis Clareburt returns to pool for the heats of his final event of the Games – the men’s 200m individual medley. Clareburt arrives in Paris as the 13th fastest seed in the event, having been a finalist in Tokyo.
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 200m Individual Medley Final (Clareburt – 6.43am)
- 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.
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.
Saturday 27 July
Day One Heats – from 9pm NZST
- Women’s 100m Butterfly (Ouwehand)
- Women’s 400m Freestyle (Fairweather & Thomas)
Sunday 28 July
Day One Finals – from 6.30am NZST
- Women’s 100m Butterfly Semi-Final (Ouwehand*) – 6.30am
- Women’s 400m Freestyle Final (Fairweather* & Thomas*) – 6.52am
Day Two Heats – from 9pm NZST
- Men’s 400m IM (Clareburt)
- Men’s 100m Backstroke (Follows)
- Women’s 200m Freestyle (Fairweather)
Monday 29 July
Day Two Finals – from 6.30am NZST
- Men’s 400m IM Final (Clareburt*) – 6.30am
- Women’s 100m Butterfly Final (Ouwehand*) – 6.40am
- Men’s 100m Backstroke Semi-Final (Follows*) – 7.32am
- Women’s 200m Freestyle Semi-Final (Fairweather*) – 7.50am
Tuesday 30 July
Day Three Finals – from 6.30am NZST
- Men’s 100m Backstroke Final (Follows*) – 7.19am
- Women’s 200m Freestyle Final (Fairweather*) – 7.41am
Day Four Heats – from 9pm NZST
- Men’s 200m Butterfly (Clareburt)
- Men’s 100m Freestyle (Gray)
- Women’s 1500m Freestyle (Thomas)
Wednesday 31 July
Day Four Finals – from 6.30pm NZST
- Men’s 100m Freestyle Semi-Final (Gray*) – 6.30am
- Men’s 200m Butterfly Semi-Final (Clareburt*) – 6.42am
Day Five Heats – from 9pm NZST
- Men’s 200m Backstroke (Follows)
Thursday 1 August
Day Five Finals – from 6.30am NZST
- Men’s 200m Butterfly Final (Clareburt*) – 6.36am
- Women’s 1500m Freestyle Final (Thomas*) – 7.07am
- Men’s 200m Backstroke Semi-Final (Follows*) – 7.37am
- Men’s 100m Freestyle Final (Gray*) – 8.22am
Day Six Heats – from 9pm NZST
- Men’s 50m Freestyle (Torepe-Ormsby)
- Men’s 200m Individual Medley (Clareburt)
- Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay (Fairweather, Transom, Thomas, Deans)
Friday 2 August
Day Six Finals – from 6.30am NZST
- Men’s 200m Backstroke Final (Follows*) – 6.37am
- Men’s 50m Freestyle Semi-Final (Torepe-Ormsby*) – 6.44am
- Men’s 200m Individual Medley Semi-Final (Clareburt*) – 7.35am
- Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay Final (Fairweather, Transom, Thomas, Deans*) – 7.49am
Day Seven Heats – from 9pm NZST
- Men’s 100m Butterfly (Gray)
- Women’s 800m Freestyle (Fairweather & Thomas)
Sunday 3 August
Day Seven Finals – from 6.30am NZST
- Men’s 50m Freestyle Final (Torepe-Ormsby*) – 6.30am
- Men’s 200m Individual Medley Final (Clareburt*) – 6.43am
- Men’s 100m Butterfly Semi-Final (Gray*) – 7am
Monday 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
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.
