The Cromwell Spring Carnival, held from 2-3 November, drew a record turnout of 140 athletes from Otago and surrounding regions — marking the highest turnout since pre-pandemic. The pool was buzzing with excitement and energy, with many young athletes embracing the opportunity to compete, building their confidence and gaining invaluable race experience with every stroke. It was a fantastic showcase of emerging talent, determination, and the spirit of community!

On Saturday, one Otago Record was broken, along with a ton of personal best times taken down across the competition. Congratulations to all those who participated — we hope you had fun and look forward to seeing you poolside again soon!

Hana Carnie (Wanaka) continued her impressive form by breaking one Otago record. In her first competition as a 13-year-old, Carnie smashed the 100m Backstroke record, taking over one second off the previous record held by Luisa Palmer to set a new benchmark of 1:04.20. Sunday could have seen another demolished by Hana in the 200m Backstroke, but due to the insufficient number of pool deck officials her effort will not be recognised as an Otago record, however it is worthy of a mention. The female 13-years 200m Backstroke record has been held by Olympian Erika Fairweather (Neptune) since 2017, and Hana’s time of 2:18.40 blew it out of the water by over three seconds – we can’t wait to see what Hana can do with her next opportunity. Congratulations to Hana and her support team at Wanaka Swimming Club!

Alexandra Swimming Club comfortably claimed the top club shield, with Queenstown Swimming Club securing a close-fought second place against Wanaka Swimming Club, which took third.

The Cromwell Swim Centre 10^th Anniversary Trophies were awarded to Kelicia Purcell (Wharenui) and Neo Salomonsson (Kiwi). The top six finishers in each individual event earned points toward their age group standings, with several young athletes claiming standout performances. The following swimmers were crowned Age Group Winners for 2024:

• Female 10 & under: Hattie Olsen-Vetland (South Otago Sharks) – 60 points
• Male 10 & under: Sam Morris (Wanka) – 60 points
• Female 11-12: Kelicia Purcell (Wharenui) – 94 points
• Male 11-12: Isaac Woodward (Alexandra) – 66 points
• Female 13-14: Hana Carnie (Wanaka) – 67 points
• Male 13-14: Benjamin Winter (Alexandra) – 63 points
• Female 15 & over: Sophie Winter (Alexandra) – 80 points
• Male 15 & over: Neo Salomonsson (Kiwi) – 87 points

A long-standing event that never fails to get supporters on their feet, the Roaring Meg Classic was a great way to finish the competition. The winners of this year’s pairings were

• 10 years & under: Agnes Bradford and Sam Morris
• 11-12 years: Harper Cowan and Lucas Campbell
• 13-14 years: Hana Carnie and Kees Groot
• 15 years & over: Ellie Olsen-Vetland and Neo Salomonsson

It was a pleasure working alongside Cromwell Swim Club to deliver this event, and we would like to extend a big thank you to all those who made this competition possible — from all those at Cromwell Swim Club, in particular Dean Gerling, who put in the hard work behind the scenes to our incredible cohort of technical officials, to all those who put their hand up to time keep or volunteer in some other way, and to the sponsors who made the meet possible. Thank you all!

👉 Click here to view the full results from the 2024 Cromwell Spring Carnival.

👉 Check out all the photos here.

Looking for your next racing opportunity? The Otago Long Course Championships are being held from 7-8 December 2024. Entries will close on Thursday, 28 November, at 11:59pm; so don't wait, get them in now!

Looking to start your Pool Deck Officiating journey?  Check out all the details here or contact us at admin@swimotago.org

Article added: Tuesday 05 November 2024