The 2024 Neptune King's Birthday Meet was held from 1-2 June at Moana Pool in Dunedin, attracting more than 250 athletes from across the South Island, and beyond. This competition remains one of the biggest on the Otago swimming calendar, offering events for swimmers of all ages and abilities. Overall, it was an action packed weekend of racing, with an energetic and supportive atmosphere, which contributed to many personal best times.

Amongst the action of the weekend were Otago's three Paris-bound Olympians - Caitlin Deans, Erika Fairweather, and Kane Follows (all of Neptune). It was business as usual for the trio, as the continue their final training block as they prep toward the Games in late July. Follows took on the 100m Backstroke, lodging a time of 53.07 - just half a second outside his personal best. Meanwhile, Fairweather and Deans battled it out in the 100m Freestyle, with both athletes setting new personal best times of 53.46 and 55.33, respectively. 

Erika's time of 53.46 shaved nearly half a second off of the Otago Open Record in the Female 100m Freestyle, which was set by Fairweather at the New Zealand Short Course Championships in 2023. Moreover, the effort was just three tenths of a second outside of the New Zealand Record. Congratulations, Erika!

Joining Fairweather in her Otago Record breaking efforts was Sophia Kivileva (Neptune), who shattered the Otago Record in the Female 11 Years & Under 1500m Freestyle, which had been held by Caitlin Deans since 2011. Kivileva had been within striking distance of the record for a couple of months now, and got the job done in incredible fashion over the weekend - slashing 24 seconds off of the Otago Record on her way to setting a new personal best time of 19:43.30. Congratulations, Sophia!

There were also some jaw-dropping performances from Hannah Ker-Fox (Neptune), however Ker-Fox unfortunately does not currently meet the eligibility criteria to be recognised for Otago Records. Nonetheless, congratulations to Hannah on a fantastic weekend of racing!

One of the most exciting parts of the Neptune King's Birthday Meet is the Skins events, where athletes race head to head for cash prizes. Well done to all the athletes who partook in the Skins, and congratulations to the cash prize winners...

Outside of the water, Pene Knowles (Kiwi) passed her assessment to become an accredited Inspector of Turns (IOT). Congratulations, Pene! Thank you for all you do on pool deck to support our athletes and ensure that our competitions meet Swimming NZ Designated Approval Status.

Technical officials are a crucial element of our sport, and we are always looking for more volunteers to join us. If you are interested in becoming a technical official, flick us an email at admin@swimotago.org and we can get you started on your journey.

It was great to work alongside Neptune Swim Club in organising and delivering this competition. Swimming Otago would like to extend a huge thank you to all those who contributed to making this event possible. From the organising committee who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, to our amazing group of technical officials, and all the volunteers who served as timekeepers or in other capacities, plus the generous sponsors who made the meet possible. Thank you all for your invaluable contributions - meets like this are not possible without your help!

Congratulations to all who took part in this competition. We hope you enjoyed it and look forward to seeing you poolside again soon!

Looking for your next racing opportunity? Don't miss out on Otago Short Course Championships from 22-23 June! Entries close on Thursday 13 June at 11:59PM. Get your entries in now!

Article added: Wednesday 05 June 2024