New Zealand Bags 34 Medals at Oceania Swimming Championships

Competition Wrap – 2026 Oceania Swimming Championships

New Zealand swimmers delivered strong performances at the 2026 Oceania Championships in Fiji, securing a 34-medal haul across four days of pool competition.

The 28-strong Kiwi contingent showcased their depth and determination at the Damodar City Aquatic Centre, gaining valuable international racing experience against competitors from 15 nations.

Reflecting on the campaign, head coach Dave Prattley said:

"I was very proud to lead the team over there. We had 28 swimmers, 23 of them came home with medals – 34 medals in total. It was a very successful developmental opportunity for many athletes who had not represented their country on the international stage before."

New Zealand’s team culture was on full display in the relay events, with teams entered in every relay on the programme. The relay campaign was highlighted by two gold-medal performances.

In the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay, the quartet of Soeren Wells (Wharenui), Joel Verran (Wharenui), William Tye (Nga Tai Tuatea a Taraika), and Jack Love (Blenheim) combined for a thrilling victory in a time of 7:48.07.

The women matched that success in the 4x100m freestyle relay, where Holly Neville (Phoenix), Jade Lyles (Phoenix), Kiri Yamagami (United), and Stacey Morgan (Triton) claimed gold in 3:54.18.

Individually, New Zealand produced two gold medallists alongside several multiple-time podium finishers.

Michael Chen (Parnell) flew to victory in the men’s 200m butterfly on night one, securing gold with a sharp 2:07.78 in a Kiwi one-two finish just ahead of teammate Joel Verran (Wharenui). Verran also went on to win bronze in the 200m freestyle.

Jade Lyles (Phoenix) proved unbeatable in the women’s 200m backstroke, powering home in 2:20.98 to claim gold, while also snagging a bronze in the 100m backstroke.

Blenheim's Jack Love was another of the team’s standout performers, collecting four individual silver medals in the 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 400m individual medley, and another podium finish with bronze in the 200m individual medley.

Stacey Morgan (Triton) also impressed in the sprint events, earning silver in both the 50m and 100m freestyle while contributing strongly across New Zealand’s relay teams.

Distance ace Hope Wang (Phoenix) secured a trio of silver medals in the 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, and 400m individual medley.

Soeren Wells (Wharenui) also delivered a consistently strong campaign across the distance events, securing individual bronze medals in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle events, alongside the 400m individual medley.

Meanwhile, Charley Joyce (North Shore) impressed in the sprint backstroke events, securing individual silvers in both the 50m and 100m backstroke, alongside vital contributions to the silver-medal-winning medley relay teams.

The championships in Suva were delivered with the strong support of New Zealand officials, who played a key role in ensuring the smooth running of competition across all disciplines. Among them were Paul Matson (Wellington), Technical Director for the Open Water event, as well as technical officials Edward Hardie (Waikato), Celia Honiss (Northland), Andy McFarlane (Canterbury West Coast), Glenys McKenzie (Canterbury West Coast), and Ellie Sherwood (Bay of Plenty).

The championships also benefited from the expertise and leadership of John West (Auckland), Oceania Aquatics Secretary and World Aquatics Bureau Member, and Ron Clarke (Canterbury West Coast), World Aquatics Mentor, whose guidance supported the successful delivery of the event.

New Zealand's medal tally

All the medallists for New Zealand at these championships can be found below.

Gold (4)

• Men's 200m butterfly – Michael Chen (2:07.78)

• Men's 4x200m freestyle – Soeren Wells, Joel Verran, William Tye, Jack Love (7:48.07)

• Women's 200m backstroke – Jade Lyles (2:20.98)

• Women's 4x100m freestyle – Holly Neville, Jade Lyles, Kiri Yamagami, Stacey Morgan (3:54.18)

Silver (15)

• Men's 200m freestyle – Jack Love (1:55.69)

• Women's 100m backstroke – Charley Joyce (1:04.67)

• Men's 200m butterfly – Joel Verran (2:08.18)

• Mixed 4x100m medley – Charley Joyce, Danny Sun, Michael Chen, Stacey Morgan

• Women's 400m individual medley – Hope Wang (5:12.00)

• Men's 400m individual medley – Jack Love (4:36.50)

• Women's 50m backstroke – Charley Joyce (29.87)

• Women's 100m freestyle – Stacey Morgan (57.40)

• Women's 400m freestyle – Hope Wang (4:33.28)

• Men's 400m freestyle – Jack Love (4:06.31)

• Women's 200m backstroke – Paige Stringer (2:22.64)

• Women's 800m freestyle – Hope Wang (9:19.03)

• Women's 50m freestyle – Stacey Morgan (26.12)

• Men's 4x100m medley – James Crosbie, Nicholas Cowen, Sam Kenny, Sam Skidmore (3:53.63)

• Women's 4x100m medley – Charley Joyce, Lily McGrath, Kiri Yamagami, Stacey Morgan (4:20.20)

Bronze (15)

• Men's 200m freestyle – Joel Verran (1:56.46)

• Women's 100m backstroke – Jade Lyles (1:04.99)

• Men's 1500m freestyle – Soeren Wells (16:33.96)

• Mixed 4x50m freestyle – Sam Skidmore, Holly Neville, Mackenzie Tobin, Roman Anderson (1:39.94)

• Men's 400m individual medley – Soeren Wells (4:41.41)

• Women's 50m backstroke – Mackenzie Tobin (30.23)

• Men's 50m backstroke – James Crosbie (26.86)

• Mixed 4x50m medley – Charley Joyce, Connor Jenkins, Sam Kenny, Stacey Morgan (1:49.42)

• Women's 4x200m freestyle – Hope Wang, Jasmine Lyles, Lily McGrath, Kiri Yamagami (8:53.64)

• Men's 400m freestyle – Soeren Wells (4:07.67)

• Men's 4x100m freestyle – Sam Skidmore, Sean Burke, William Tye, James Crosbie (3:31.93)

• Mixed 4x100m freestyle – Sam Skidmore, Holly Neville, Jade Lyles, William Tye (3:44.35)

• Men's 800m freestyle – Soeren Wells (8:35.66)

• Men's 200m individual medley – Jack Love (2:10.25)

• Men's 200m breaststroke – Nicholas Cowen (2:21.41)

2026 Oceania Swimming Championships – New Zealand Roster

Swimmers

Swimmers to represent New Zealand at the Oceania Swimming Championships in Fiji:

Name	Club	Coach
Roman Anderson	Tawa	Ben Lavigne
Sean Burke	North Shore	Michelle Gillies
Hana Carnie	Wanaka	Erika Ikeda
Michael Chen	Parnell	Max Polianski
Nick Cowen	North Shore	Graham Hill
James Crosbie	United / Cranbrook (AUS)	Rebecca Wheatley (AUS)
Channelle Huang	North Shore	Graham Hill
Connor Jenkins	Wharenui	Carl Gordon
Charley Joyce	North Shore	Graham Hill
Sam Kenny	Coast / Bond Uni (AUS)	Kyle Samuelson (AUS)
Jack Love	Blenheim	Shane Skehan
Jade Lyles	Phoenix	David Lyles
Jasmine Lyles	Phoenix / TSS (AUS)	David Lush (AUS)
Lily McGrath	Neptune & Swim Dunedin	Lars Humer
Frederick Mills	Tawa	Ben Lavigne
Stacey Morgan	Triton	Reuben Lim
Holly Neville	Phoenix / Iona (AUS)	John Gatfield (AUS)
Sam Skidmore	Trojans	Kirsty Johnson
Paige Stringer	Hamilton Aquatics	Mat Woofe
Danny Sun	North Shore	Graham Hill
Aidan Taylor	Howick Pakuranga	Jana Wilkitzki
Mackenzie Tobin	Parnell	Max Polianski
William Tye	Nga Tai Tuatea a Taraika	Chris Paproski
Joel Verran	Wharenui	Carl Gordon
Hope Wang	Phoenix	David Lyles
Soeren Wells	Wharenui	Carl Gordon
Kiri Yamagami	United	Mitch Nairn
YiFan Zhang	Parnell	Max Polianski

Support Team

The team supporting our New Zealand athletes at the championships in Fiji:

Name	Club	Role
Dave Prattley	North Canterbury	Team Leader / Head Coach
Janelle Harland	Capital	Team Manager
Hannah Sutherland	Vikings	Team Coach
Ryan Lockwood	Phoenix Aquatics	Team Coach