Fairweather Surges Into World Champs Final

Day Three Wrap of the 2025 World Aquatics Championships – Swimming

Doha World Champions Erika Fairweather (North Shore) and Lewis Clareburt (Club 37) have led the way on day three of the pool competition at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, with both swimmers racing in the semi-finals of their respective events.

Fairweather was in fine form, qualifying third fastest for the women’s 200m freestyle final. In the morning heats, Fairweather set about ensuring she booked her spot in the semi-finals. Racing from lane three of the final heat, Fairweather was comfortably in the top three alongside Olympic Champion Mollie O’Callaghan (Australia) and Erin Gemmell (USA) from the start before moving into the lead. From there she won the heat and qualified through as the fastest into the semi-finals (1:56.54).

In the semi-final, Fairweather moved her way into second at the first turn with the top five swimmers in a line through the first two laps. Fairweather turned third at the halfway point before turning second at the final turn. Fairweather wound up touching third behind Claire Weinstein (USA – 1:54.69) and O’Callaghan (1:55.49). Fairweather’s time (1:55.52) in the semi-final is the fourth fastest of her career, just 0.08 seconds outside of her New Zealand record which she set in April 2023. She books her spot in the final as the third fastest seed, so will occupy lane three in the final.

Fairweather will race the final on Wednesday night with the session starting from 11pm NZST. Her final is scheduled for 11.17pm NZST.

Clareburt was in career-best form in the men’s 200m butterfly as he started his Singapore campaign on day three of the championships. He qualified a spot in the semi-final with a result that was the seventh fastest of his career in the heats, having moved his way through the field progressively across the distance to touch the wall fourth (1:56.35). The time saw him sneak into the semi-finals in 16th place.

In the evening, Clareburt gave it everything he had in lane eight of the first semi-final. He was in fifth at the halfway mark, with his side of the pool setting the early pace. He motored home on the final lap to be alongside fifth in the dying stages, narrowly touching in sixth for the semi-final. His time (1:55.24) was a personal best, slashing 0.34 seconds off his previous best that he set when he became the Commonwealth Champion in Birmingham three years ago. The second semi-final saw some fast swims also, with Clareburt placing tenth overall in his first outing in Singapore.

Clareburt was rapt with a personal best time to kick start his campaign.

“It’s been three years since I touched that personal best so extremely happy. Obviously would have been great to get into that final but I think it gives me confidence moving forward.”

Clareburt will return to the competition pool on day four for the men’s 200m individual medley.

Milana Tapper (St Peter’s & Griffith University) was also in action on day three, making her Aquablack debut in the women’s 200m freestyle. Racing in the fourth heat where she started from lane one, she utilised nearly her full 15m quota underwater to be well-placed in third at the first turn. She was part of the line at the front of the field across the majority of the race, turning in fourth at the final turn. Claire Weinstein, Li Bingjie (China) and Mary-Sophie Harvey (Canada) showed their experience to pull away as the top three in the heat, with Tapper in a battle with Stephanie Balduccini (Brazil) and Nikolett Padar (Hungary) for fourth on the wall. Tapper got her hand on the wall in sixth position for the heat (1:58.75), the second fastest time of her career, to place 21st in her first event as an Aquablack.

It was the sixth time in 2025 that Tapper has swum under the two-minute barrier in the event, having never previously achieved this before the start of the current calendar year.

Tapper will return to the competition pool on day five for the women’s 100m freestyle, having impressed to become national champion in the event at the 2025 Apollo Projects NZ Swimming Championships a couple of months ago.

Results

Day Four Preview

Savannah-Eve Martin (Coast) will make her Aquablack debut alongside teammate Amber George (Coast) in the women’s 50m backstroke on day four. Clareburt will also return to the pool for the men’s 200m individual medley. Fairweather will race her women’s 200m freestyle final in the evening session.

Heats are from 2pm NZST and the finals from 11pm NZST. You can watch the livestream through the World Aquatics Recast platform by purchasing access from the link below.

Watch Here

Upcoming Daily Schedule

*Start times are subject to change, while semi-finals and finals are subject to athlete progression

Wednesday 30 July

Day Four Heats - from 2pm NZST

• Women's 50m backstroke (George & Martin)

• Men's 200m individual medley (Clareburt)

Day Four Semis/Finals (potential) - from 11pm NZST

• Women's 200m freestyle final (Fairweather)

• Women's 50m backstroke semi-final (George* & Martin*)

• Men's 200m individual medley semi-final (Clareburt*)

Thursday 31 July

Day Five Heats - from 2pm NZST

• Women's 100m freestyle (Tapper)

Day Five Semis/Finals (potential) - from 11pm NZST

• Women's 100m freestyle semi-final (Tapper*)

• Men's 200m individual medley final (Clareburt*)

• Women's 50m backstroke final (George* & Martin*)

Friday 1 August

Day Six Heats - from 2pm NZST

• Women's 50m butterfly (Pedersen & Quilter)

• Women's 800m freestyle (Fairweather & Deans)

Day Six Semis/Finals (potential) - from 11pm NZST

• Women's 100m freestyle final (Tapper*)

• Women's 50m butterfly semi-final (Pedersen* & Quilter*)

Saturday 2 August

Day Seven Heats - from 2pm NZST

• Women's 50m freestyle (Quilter)

• Men's 50m backstroke (Harland & Jeffcoat)

Day Seven Semis/Finals (potential) - from 11pm NZST

• Women's 50m butterfly final (Pedersen* & Quilter*)

• Women's 50m freestyle semi-final (Quilter*)

• Men's 50m backstroke semi-final (Harland* & Jeffcoat*)

• Women's 800m freestyle final (Fairweather* & Deans*)

Sunday 3 August

Day Eight Heats - from 2pm NZST

• Men's 400m individual medley (Clareburt)

Day Eight Semis/Finals (potential) - from 11pm NZST

• Men's 50m backstroke final (Harland* & Jeffcoat*)

• Women's 50m freestyle final (Quilter*)

• Men's 400m individual medley final (Clareburt*)

Entries & Results

Lewis Clareburt

• 200m butterfly (10th overall = 1:55.24 - PB in semi-final, 1:56.35 in heat)

• 200m individual medley (entry time: 1:57.36)

• 400m individual medley (entry time: 4:10.44)

Louis Clark

• Men's 3km knockout open water (39th overall, 19th in 1500m heat = 17:58.4)

Caitlin Deans

• 800m freestyle (entry time: 8:29.32)

• 1500m freestyle (13th overall = 16:13.16)

Erika Fairweather

• 200m freestyle (into final, 1:55.52 in semi-final, 1:56.54 in heat)

• 400m freestyle (disqualified)

• 800m freestyle (entry time: 8:21.67)

Amber George

• 50m backstroke (entry time: 27.92)

• 100m backstroke (29th overall = 1:02.16)

Finn Harland

• 50m backstroke (entry time: 24.88)

• 100m backstroke (22nd overall = 54.17 - PB)

Andrew Jeffcoat

• 50m backstroke (entry time: 24.89)

Savannah-Eve Martin

• 50m backstroke (entry time: 28.15)

Zoe Pedersen

• 50m butterfly (entry time: 26.15)

Laura Quilter

• 50m butterfly (entry time: 26.22)

• 50m freestyle (entry time: 25.26)

Milana Tapper

• 100m freestyle (entry time: 54.94)

• 200m freestyle (21st overall = 1:58.75)

Eve Thomas

• 400m freestyle (14th overall = 4:10.10)

• 1500m freestyle (16th overall = 16:28.10)

Team Selected

The swimmers selected to represent New Zealand:

Name	Aquablack Number	Club	Coach	Role
Lewis Clareburt	257	Club 37	Mitch Nairn	Pool Swimmer
Louis Clark	Debutant	North Shore	Graham Hill	Open Water Swimmer
Caitlin Deans	276	Neptune & Swim Dunedin	Lars Humer	Pool Swimmer
Erika Fairweather	266	North Shore	Graham Hill	Pool Swimmer
Amber George	Debutant	Coast	Michael Weston	Pool Swimmer
Finn Harland	Debutant	Coast	John Gatfield	Pool Swimmer
Andrew Jeffcoat	279	United	Andy McMillan	Pool Swimmer
Savannah-Eve Martin	Debutant	Coast	Michael Weston	Pool Swimmer
Zoe Pedersen	Debutant	Coast	John Gatfield	Pool Swimmer
Laura Quilter	245	Coast	Self Coached, supported by Michael Weston	Pool Swimmer
Milana Tapper	Debutant	St Peter's & Griffith University	Tom Fraser-Holmes	Pool Swimmer
Eve Thomas	270	Coast	Michael Weston	Pool Swimmer

The coaches and support staff selected to guide our Aquablacks are:

Name	Organisation	Role
Graham Hill	Swimming NZ & North Shore	Head Coach
Mitch Nairn	Club 37	Assistant Coach
Michael Weston	Coast	Assistant Coach
Matthew Ingram	HPSNZ	Manager