Louis Clark will make his Aquablack debut in Singapore having qualified for the inaugural 3km knock out open water event, which will be hosted at the World Aquatics Championships for the first time in 2025.

He first learnt to swim in his hometown of Christchurch, where he was taught at Wharenui before he joined the swim club to be coached by Tatiana Afanaseva at the age of 10. Clark spent time with Aquagym for a couple of years in his late teens before making the move to North Shore in 2020.

The distance freestyle swimmer represented New Zealand on the international stage at the 2022 FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Melbourne, where he competed in two individual events and was part of the NZ record breaking 4 x 200m freestyle team.

More recently, Clark has added open water to his repertoire. He has won the silver medal in the national 10km open water event in 2024 and 2025, and won gold in the 5km event in 2025, with both in 2025 a sprint to the finish against Alex Dunkley. Clark's gold in the 5km won him a trip to swim at the aQuelle Midmar Mile in South Africa the following month, where he continued his winning streak to claim this title as well.

At the 2025 Apollo Projects NZ Swimming Championships, Clark continued his fine form by swimming a massive 12-seconds personal best in the 1500m freestyle to achieve the qualifying standard for the 3km open water knockout event.

Interestingly, swimming is the third sport where Clark will represent New Zealand at the highest level as a senior athlete. He was part of the 2019 FINA World Championships on the men’s water polo team as a 17-year-old, and he became a Black Fin when he competed at the 2024 Lifesaving World Championships.

Clark loves to ask questions and be curious. He enjoys swimming because he tries to get better each day, finding the fun in racing and training.

Favourite Quote: “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up” – Babe Ruth