With Commonwealth Games on Horizon, Lewis Clareburt Dials Up Early-Season Momentum
Is this a year Lewis Clareburt will enjoy significant success on the international stage? If history is an indicator, the New Zealand star is likely to package a strong season. After all, there is a Commonwealth Games scheduled for 2026, and Clareburt has routinely excelled at that competition.
The 26-year-old Clareburt is the reigning Commonwealth Games champion in the 200-meter butterfly and 400 individual medley, having earned those titles four years ago in Birmingham. That meet also saw the Kiwi capture the bronze medal in the 200 IM, an event in which he also placed third at the 2018 Commonwealths. For good measure, Clareburt collected seven medals at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games.
In this year without a full-fledged global championship, Clareburt is expected to place his emphasis on the next edition of the Commonwealth Games, which are slated for late July in Glasgow. As he moves toward the summer, Clareburt produced some quality results while racing at the recent Victorian State Championships. In Melbourne, Clareburt secured victories in the 200 butterfly (1:56.30) and 200 medley (1:58.31). Meanwhile, at the New South Wales State Open, Clareburt was 4:12.36 in the 400 IM.
The early-season success enjoyed by Clareburt could serve as a momentum boost for the coming months. The New Zealander is two years removed from winning the world title in the 400 IM at the 2024 World Champs in Doha, which were missing many of the sport’s top stars in an Olympic campaign. At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Clareburt was sixth in the 400 IM, 14th in the 200 IM and 21st in the 200 butterfly.
Last summer, at the World Championships in Singapore, Clareburt was fifth in the 200 IM, where he set a national record of 1:57.06. He was also 10th in the 400 medley and 200 fly. In the all-time rankings, Clareburt sits 14th in the 400 individual medley, off the 4:08.70 he recorded en route to his 2022 Commonwealth crown.
Still in his prime, it will be intriguing to see what Clareburt manages during this bridge year to the 2027 World Championships in Budapest. If nothing else, he can take positives from his recent performances Down Under, and use his track record at the Commonwealth Games as motivation.