The pool was abuzz with excitement as the 2024 New Zealand Short Course Championships kicked off in Auckland. It was a strong first day of racing for our Otago athletes, with a total of five medals earned across the age group and open finals.

Alfie Weatherston Harvey (Kiwi) led the way, capturing gold in the 16 Years 800m Freestyle. Luisa Palmer (Wanaka) had a strong showing across a busy schedule, earning silver medals in both the 14 Years 100m Backstroke and 100m Individual Medley. Heidi Winter (Alexandra) clinched bronze in the 15 Years 100m Individual Medley, while Ruby Heath (Neptune) took home bronze in the gruelling Open 1500m Freestyle.

While we can't write about all the results, we have selected some of the highlights of the morning and evening sessions.

Morning Age Group Timed Finals & Open Heats

The morning session saw our Otago athletes give it their all against some of the nation's best swimmers, notching 12 personal best times. For a few of our athletes, it was their first taste of a New Zealand Short Course Championships, so it was fantastic to see so many positive results.

First up was the 100m Backstroke, which saw Luisa Palmer (Wanaka) take silver in the 14 years age group with a new personal best time of 1:05.34. On the men's side, Neo Salomonsson (Kiwi) had an impressive showing, breaking the one-minute barrier for the first time to record a new personal best time of 59.98, finishing just outside of the top eight in his age group. Racing at her first national short course championships, Sophie Wellington (Kiwi) placed fourth in the 13 years age group, a strong start to the competition.

The best-placed male in the 200m Breaststroke was Alexandra’s Caleb Ludlow, who slashed two seconds off his previous best time to claim fifth in the 17-18 age group. Taka Sugiyama (Kiwi) and Hugo Beeby (Neptune) also recorded new personal times to place in the top 15 in their respective age groups. On the girl’s side, Olivia McBride (Kiwi) and Sophie Winter (Alexandra) slashed their personal best times by over two and a half seconds, with both girls placing in the top 10 of their respective age groups.

The 100m Individual Medley offered some exciting racing across all the heats. Wanaka’s Luisa Palmer made her second podium appearance of the session, taking silver in the 14 years age group in a time of 1:07.55, while Heidi Winter (Alexandra) stopped the clock at 1:07.14 to take bronze in the 15-year-old age group.

The morning heats of the Men's 800m Freestyle saw William McFarlane (Kiwi) stop the clock slightly off his personal best. 

Evening Open Finals

The evening session saw great performances all around for our Otago team, with many improving on their morning swims. Some highlights included Meg McLaughlan (Kiwi) taking two seconds off her entry time in the 200m Breaststroke and Wanaka’s Luisa Palmer finishing the day with a 100% personal best rate.

During the latter part of the session, our focus shifted to our distance swimmers, who performed exceptionally well. Alfie Weatherston Harvey (Kiwi) won gold in the 16 Years 800m Freestyle, improving his personal best time by more than seven seconds with a time of 8:17.39. As the results were compiled, William McFarlane (Kiwi), who swam in the morning heats, was confirmed with a seventh place in the same age group. There were also fantastic performances in the women's 1500m Freestyle, with Ruby Heath (Neptune) earning bronze in a time of 16:54.68, while teammate Emilia Finer (Neptune) achieved a new personal best time of 16:56.01, breaking the 17-minute barrier for the first time.

Congratulations to all those who competed today. You have each made your club and Otago proud. Bring on day two!

Age Group Medalists

Luisa Palmer (Wanaka)
🥈 Women's 14 years 100m Backstroke
🥈 Women's 14 years 100m Individual Medley

Heidi Winter (Alexandra)
🥉 Women's 15 years 100m Individual Medley 

Alfie Weatherston Harvey (Kiwi)
🥇Men's 16 years 800m Freestyle

Open Medalists

Ruby Heath (Neptune)
🥉 Women's 1500m Freestyle

Day One Results

Article added: Tuesday 20 August 2024