The Otago Senior Long Course Championships and Junior Carnival were held at Moana Pool in Dunedin from 9-10 December. The competition served as an opportunity for athletes aged 13 and over to vie for regional honours, whilst younger athletes were able to gain valuable experience racing in a long course pool. One Otago Age Group record was broken over the course of the weekend, with lots of close racing providing great enterainment. Congratulations to all who took part in the Senior Championships and Junior Carnival -  it was great to host more than 130 athletes from across Otago, Southland, Canterbury, and from as far away as Northland.

Congratulations to Neo Salomonsson (Kiwi) on breaking the Male 14 Years 50m Butterfly record, with an electric time of 26.92. Neo slashed more than half a second off the previous record, which he set earlier this year at the New Zealand Age Group Swimming Championships in Hastings. Fantastic work, Neo!

The Zenith Jubilee Trophy and Festival Cup events are always a highlight of the long course championships, where eight athletes of each gender are selected to race in the novelty event. Based on their performances in the timed finals, two athletes are selected for each 100m stroke; and the Zenith Jubilee Trophy and Festival Cup events consist of the eight athletes racing that stroke against one another to finish first, however handicapping is used to 'level the playing field' so that it should be a close finish.

The men's event was first, with defending champion Caleb Ludlow (Alexandra) and Junior Pan Pacific Championships finalist Kale Twist (Kiwi) in the mix. It was a strong start from Aleksandr Kivilev (Kiwi), whom was the first to touch the wall at the 50m mark swimming Breaststroke, however he couldn't hold off the storm of Butterfliers, Backstrokers, and Freestylers making their way through the field. It was a close finish, with less than half a second separating first through to fourth place. Alfie Weatherston Harvey (Kiwi), who was allocated Freestyle as his stroke, managed to get his hand on the wall first, just ahead of backstroker William Schurink (Wanaka) by one tenth of a second. Butterflier Tom Gold (Neptune) was close behind in third, out-touching backstroker Liam Rees (Alexandra) by a couple hundredths of a second. Congratulations to Alfie Weatherston Harvey (Kiwi) on winning the 2023 Zenith Jubilee Trophy!

Up next was the women's event, with New Zealand Masters Record Holder June Schaap (Alexandra) and New Zealand Short Course Championships medallist Sophie Winter (Alexandra) amongst the field. Breaststroker Elizabeth Warry (Cromwell) was first to the wall at the 50m mark, but had to work hard to fend off some fast charging Butterfliers and Freestylers over the second 50m. It came down to the touch, with Abby Samuels (Taieri) and Sophie Winter (Alexandra) coming in to the wall together however Samuels managed to hold Winter at bay out-touching her fellow Butterflier by less than a tenth of a second. Rosa van Turnhout (Kiwi), who swam Freestyle, came in to the wall in third place, just half a second back. Congratulations to Abby Samuels (Taieri) on winning the 2023 Festival Cup!

In addition to the excitement of racing over the weekend, Dan Harvey (Kiwi) passed his assessment to become an accredited Starter! This is a huge milestone in many technical official's development pathway, and an outstanding achievement. Congratulations Dan, and thank you for your contribution to our swimming community in ensuring that our competitions meet Swimming New Zealand Designated Approval Status. If you are interested in becoming a technical official like Dan, please email us at admin@swimotago.org. We would be more than happy to provide information and assist you in getting started on your journey.

Swimming Otago would like to extend a huge thank you to all those who contributed to making this event possible. From the meticulous organisation of Kerren, our Swimming Otago Events and Development Coordinator, to the dream team of Steve, Susan, and Chris on AOD and recording duties, to our amazing group of technical officials, and all the volunteers who served as timekeepers or in other capacities, plus the support of Tanisha managing our pre and post event marketing activities and photography on the day. Thank you all for your invaluable contributions - meets like this are not possible without your help!

Looking for your next racing opportunity? Don't miss out on Race with the Reps on Saturday 20 January 2024, it is your chance to meet and race with some of New Zealand's top swimmers - entries close on Thursday 11 January at 11:59PM. Get your entries in now!

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Article added: Monday 11 December 2023