Erika Fairweather Headlines 11-Strong New Zealand Squad for Short-Course Worlds
Erika Fairweather is one of 11 New Zealand swimmers named on Monday to lead the Kiwis to the World Short-Course Championships in Beijing.
Fairweather is the only medalist from New Zealand out of the last four editions of the meet, having earned silver medals in the 400 freestyle and 800 free at the 2022 event in Melbourne. She won three bronze medals at the Pan Pacific Championships and five total medals (three silver, two bronze) at the Commonwealth Games last summer.
Caitlin Deans returns to the squad. At age 27, she is the only Aquablack holdover from the 2018 edition of Worlds in Hangzhou. Deans picked up silver medals in two distance events during the recent World Aquatics World Cup Silk Road series.
Lewis Clareburt was also part of that tour, setting a pair of New Zealand short-course records in Baku, Azerbaijan. He is three tenths off the immortal record in the 400 freestyle set in 1995 by Olympic champion Danyon Loader.
Twins Milana Tapper and Alyssa Tapper are on the team, as are fellow Commonwealth Games participants Cameron Gray and Carter Swift. Swift and the Tappers give Griffith Uni three swimmers, all of them coached by Tommy Fraser-Holmes.
Graham Hill will serve as the team’s head coach, with Mitch Nairn as the assistant coach. The meet in Beijing is from Dec. 1-6.
New Zealand at the 2026 World Short-Course Championships
- Athlete, club, coach
- Lewis Clareburt, United & Nunawading, Jol Finck
- Jasper Cornish, Coast, Michael Weston
- Caitlin Deans, Neptune & Swim Dunedin, Lars Humer
- Zac Dell, United & Brisbane Grammar, Bobby Jovanovich
- Erika Fairweather, North Shore, Graham Hill
- Cameron Gray, United, Andy McMillan
- Carter Swift, United & Griffith Uni, Tommy Fraser-Holmes
- Alyssa Tapper, St Peter’s & Griffith Uni, Tommy Fraser-Holmes
- Milana Tapper, St Peter’s & Griffith Uni, Tommy Fraser-Holmes
- Fraser Walker, United, Andy McMillan
- Kevin Zhang, Roskill, Josh Munr