Clareburt Defends Commonwealth Title as Fairweather Makes History
- Jul 29
- 5 min read
Day Five Wrap – Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games
Lewis Clareburt (United / Nunawading – coached by Jol Finck) successfully defended his Commonwealth Games men's 400m individual medley title, while Erika Fairweather (North Shore – coached by Graham Hill) became the second New Zealand swimmer – after Danyon Loader in 1994 – to win five medals at a single Commonwealth Games after claiming silver in the women's 800m freestyle on day five of competition in Glasgow.
Fresh from winning the 200m butterfly the previous evening, Clareburt produced another outstanding swim, stopping the clock in 4:08.72 – just 0.02 seconds outside the Commonwealth Games record he set when claiming the title in Birmingham four years ago.
After taking the lead at the 300m mark, the 27-year-old powered home over the freestyle leg to finish 2.30 seconds clear of his Australian training partner William Petric, securing his second gold medal of the Games.
The victory gives Clareburt an impressive Glasgow medal haul of two gold medals and one silver.
"It feels awesome and to have Will there with me on the podium after all the work we've done together made it even more special. I'm stoked for both of us," Clareburt said after the race. "I cherished every second of hearing the New Zealand anthem."
Fairweather continued her remarkable Commonwealth Games campaign, producing another composed distance freestyle performance to claim silver in the women's 800m freestyle in 8:24.97.
The silver adds to Fairweather's remarkable Glasgow medal haul of two silver and three bronze medals. Despite a demanding race programme throughout the week, the 22-year-old held off Australia's Molly Walker to secure second behind Australia's Lani Pallister.
New Zealand again showcased its strength in the women's distance freestyle, with Caitlin Deans (Neptune & Swim Dunedin – coached by Lars Humer) narrowly missing the podium in fourth place in 8:33.21, while Eve Thomas (Coast – coached by Michael Weston) finished seventh in 8:34.99.
Carter Swift (United / Griffith Uni – coached by Tommy Fraser-Holmes) capped a breakthrough week by contesting his first Commonwealth Games final in the men's 100m freestyle. The 27-year-old finished eighth in 49.07 after qualifying for his maiden Commonwealth Games final.
"I wasn't meant to be there so I'll take a spot in a Commonwealth final," Swift said. "The 100 free is always just full hammer down. There's some fast boys out there, but I'm proud of what I put up."
There was further success in the sprint events, with Chelsey Edwards (North Shore – coached by Graham Hill) advancing to the women's 50m freestyle final after clocking 25.00 to qualify seventh fastest. Zoe Pedersen (Coast – coached by Michael Weston) placed 13th in 25.63, while Milana Tapper (St Peter's / Griffith Uni – coached by Tommy Fraser-Holmes) finished 16th overall in a personal best of 25.85.
"I'm stoked to be in a final," Edwards said. "I know I've got a swim like that in me and I'm proud to be able to put it out in a Commonwealth Games semi. Bring on the final!"
Amber George and Savannah-Eve Martin (both of Coast – coached by Michael Weston) also featured in the women's 50m backstroke final, finishing sixth and seventh respectively. George clocked 28.33, just ahead of Martin's 28.43.
New Zealand returns to the pool tomorrow for the final day of racing. Lewis Clareburt will be back in action in the men's 200m freestyle heats, while Chelsey Edwards will contest the women's 50m freestyle final in the evening session.
Day Six
Heats (from 9:30pm NZST – Wednesday 29 July)
Men's 200m freestyle (Clareburt)
Potential Finals Swims (from 6:00am NZST – Thursday 30 July)
FINAL ** – Men's 200m freestyle (Clareburt)
FINAL – Women's 50m freestyle (Edwards)
** denotes subject to qualification
Follow the action live
Follow Swimming NZ on Instagram (@swimming_nz) and Facebook, and keep an eye on our website, to stay up to date with all the swimming action from Glasgow.
You can find the schedule and results for the Games via the link below.
Don’t miss any of the action on Sky Sport during these Games. As the exclusive New Zealand broadcaster, Sky will bring fans closer to the action than ever before, with extensive live and on-demand coverage across Sky Sport, Sky Sport Now, Sky Go, and free-to-air via Three and ThreeNow.
You can also download the NZ Team app to track your favourite sports and Kiwi athletes as they strive for gold in Glasgow.
Entries by Swimmer
Lewis Clareburt – 2 x gold, 1 x silver
Men's 200m individual medley – silver medal – final: 1:56.77 (NZ record)
Men's 200m butterfly – gold medal – final: 1:55.05 (PB)
Men's 400m individual medley – gold medal – final: 4:08.72
Men's 200m freestyle
Caitlin Deans – 1 x bronze
Women's 400m freestyle – 6th place – final: 4:09.45
Women's 1500m freestyle – 5th place – final: 16:08.62 (PB)
Women's 4x200m freestyle relay – bronze medal – final: 7:51.94 (NZ record)
Women's 800m freestyle – 4th place – final: 8:33.21
Chelsey Edwards
Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay – 4th place – final: 3:24.82 (NZ record)
Women's 100m freestyle – 22nd place – heat: 56.72
Women's 50m freestyle
Erika Fairweather – 3 x silver, 2 x bronze
Women's 400m freestyle – silver medal – final: 4:02.65
Women's 200m freestyle – bronze medal – final: 1:55.24
Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay – 4th place – final: 3:24.82 (NZ record)
Women's 1500m freestyle – silver medal – final: 15:58.97
Women's 4x200m freestyle relay – bronze – final: 7:51.94 (NZ record)
Women's 800m freestyle – silver medal – final: 8:24.97
Amber George
Women's 100m backstroke – 11th place – semi-final: 1:01.24
Women's 50m backstroke – 6th place – final: 28.33
Cameron Gray
Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay – 4th place – final: 3:24.82 (NZ record)
Men's 100m freestyle – 17th place – heat: 50.19
Men's 50m butterfly – 19th place – heat: 24.40
Savannah-Eve Martin
Women's 100m backstroke – 12th place – semi-final: 1:01.35
Women's 50m backstroke – 7th place – final: 28.43
Hazel Ouwehand – 1 x bronze
Women's 50m butterfly – bronze medal – final: 25.76
Women's 100m butterfly – 8th place – final: 59.63
Zoe Pedersen
Women's 50m butterfly – 5th place – final: 26.24
Women's 100m freestyle – 12th place – semi-final: 55.49
Women's 50m freestyle – 13th place – semi-final: 25.63
Carter Swift
Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay – 4th place – final: 3:24.82 (NZ record)
Men's 100m freestyle – 8th place – final: 49.07
Milana Tapper – 1 x bronze
Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay – 4th place (heat swimmer)
Women's 4x200m freestyle relay – bronze medal – final: 7:51.94 (NZ record)
Women's 50m freestyle – 16th place – semi-final: 25.85 (PB)
Eve Thomas – 1 x bronze
Women's 400m freestyle – 8th place – final: 4:12.23
Women's 1500m freestyle – 8th place – final: 16:29.63
Women's 4x200m freestyle relay – bronze medal – final: 7:51.94 (NZ record)
Women's 800m freestyle – 7th place – final: 8:34.99
Joshua Willmer – 1 x silver
Men's 100m breaststroke SB9 – silver medal – final: 1:11.44 (SB8 Games record)
New Zealand Team
Name | Club | Coach |
Lewis Clareburt | United | Jol Finck (Nunawading) |
Caitlin Deans | Neptune & Swim Dunedin | Lars Humer |
Chelsey Edwards | North Shore | Graham Hill |
Erika Fairweather | North Shore | Graham Hill |
Amber George | Coast | Michael Weston |
Cameron Gray | United | Andy McMillan |
Savannah-Eve Martin | Coast | Michael Weston |
Hazel Ouwehand | Phoenix Aquatics | David Lyles |
Zoe Pedersen | Coast | Michael Weston |
Carter Swift | United | Tommy Fraser-Holmes (Griffith University) |
Milana Tapper | St Peter's | Tommy Fraser-Holmes (Griffith University) |
Eve Thomas | Coast | Michael Weston |
Joshua Willmer | Coast | Michael Weston |
New Zealand Team Staff
Name | Organisation / Club | Role |
Graham Hill | Swimming NZ & North Shore | Head Coach |
Michael Weston | Coast | Assistant Coach |
David Lyles | Phoenix Aquatics | Assistant Coach |
Matt Ingram | HPSNZ | Team Manager / Analyst |
Rebecca Longhurst | HPSNZ | Team Physio |
Comments