Lewis Clareburt added to New Zealand Commonwealth Games team

Lewis Clareburt. New Zealand Age Group Championships, Session Eight, Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre, Kilbirnie, Wellington, Friday 8th May 2015. Photo: Simon Watts/www.bwmedia.co.nz
Photo Courtesy: Simon Watts/www.bwmedia.co.nz/Swimming New Zealand

By Dave Crampton.

Swimming New Zealand and the New Zealand Olympic Committee have finalized the swimming team to the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games with the late addition of 18-year-old Lewis Clareburt to the team.

While nominated last year, he missed out on the initial swimming selection announcement, three days before Christmas. He was a late inclusion due to his ranking of seventh in the Commonwealth in the 400m individual medley and other sports not being able to fill their athlete quota.

He was also the Commonwealth’s top individual swimmer at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas, where he won three gold and four silver medals.

Swimming New Zealand CEO Steve Johns is delighted to have another swimmer added to the team.

“Lewis has demonstrated the ability to perform with distinction at the Games and deserves the opportunity to represent New Zealand at this pinnacle event,” he said.

While a late entry, Clareburt is actually ranked higher than most of the rest of the team in individual events, most of whom are selected for relay events. However New Zealand Para swimmer Sophie Pascoe is ranked top in her favored 200m individual medley event.

Clareburt’s personal best in the 400m individual medley is 4:18.78, just shy of the 4:18.68 qualifying  time  for the Games – equating to sixth place  in the Commonwealth. It is also just under two seconds short of the FINA A qualifying time for the Tokyo Olympics. He is the sole member of the New Zealand swimming team selected for an individual event while not making the individual qualifying time, or trialling in Auckland or Queensland in December.

“I missed the original team and Swimming New Zealand told me I might have a chance of making it in February when they nominate me again,” Clareburt said, “But I wasn’t sure and I pretty much had to train as if I was going because from February there is only a couple of months of training to go and you won’t be prepared if you start training then.”

But he said he would be racing himself and the clock more than his opposition.

“If I do a really good time I’ll put myself up there to make a final and hopefully go from there. I don’t want to say too much at the moment because I don’t want to burst my bubble.”

Of the 12 swimmers competing for New Zealand, just backstroker Corey Main and medley swimmer Bradlee Ashby have reached qualifying standards. Both achieved these standards at the world championships last year.

Main, who made the 100m backstroke final, is returning for his second Commonwealth Games.

While swimmers were asked to identify two meets to trial for the Games, no others reached the qualifying standards, which are tougher than many other countries.  Few reached FINA B times (including a relay team member selected for the games as the fastest breaststroker for a relay). The FINA B mark is the Games qualifying standard in South Africa.

One shining light on the team includes Australia-based Laticia-Leigh Transom. While only 16, she won two golds, two silvers and a bronze at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games after Swimming New Zealand head coach Jerry Olszewski chose not to send a team to World Juniors.

Olszewski resigned in September and has not been replaced.

Also included in the roster is Helena Gasson, Matthew Stanley, Carina Doyle, Daniel Hunter, Sam Perry, Georgia Marris, Bobbi Gichard and Bronagh Ryan – all selected for relays.

The Commonwealth Games will be held at the Gold Coast in Australia between April 4-15.

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