Record Numbers Ready to Race at Auckland's National Aquatic Centre
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Competition Preview - 2026 NZ Swimming Championships
New Zealand’s top swimmers are preparing for a week of fierce competition at the 2026 NZ Swimming Championships at the Sir Owen G Glenn National Aquatic Centre in Auckland.
The competition is being held from Wednesday 13 to Sunday 17 May and will feature a record number of athletes, with more than 425 swimmers set to compete at the event. Alongside this growth, more than 50 multi-class athletes are set to compete at the championships, marking the most in New Zealand history.
During the finals sessions, the fastest overall eight swimmers will compete in the A Final. A 17 - 18 Years Final will be held for the fastest eight age group swimmers who aren't in the A Final, with the age group medals to be awarded from the best results between the two finals (timed final result).
The championships are the final qualification opportunity for a number of major international competitions, including the 2026 Commonwealth Games, as well as the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships, Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships and World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships.
Several athletes have already hit qualifying times during the qualifying window, with many more looking to do so this week.
Swimming New Zealand Olympic Head Coach, Graham Hill, spoke on the importance of these championships.
"This is a really important event for our athletes and we're expecting some impressive swimming as they compete for national titles and vie for qualification spots."
Hill is excited about the depth of competition on display this week in Auckland.
"There will be some amazing competition during the week. It's a great atmosphere and we have a huge number of really talented swimmers who are hungry to perform. We're encouraging the community to come along, show their support and enjoy the action."
Twenty-three Aquablacks will line up across the week's competition, joined by 32 international competitors from Japan, Australia, the Netherlands, Bahrain and Germany. Among the international entries is Takayuki Suzuki of Japan, a 14-time Paralympic medallist and long-time rival and friend of New Zealand Para swimming great Cameron Leslie MNZM.
Two-time Olympian Lewis Clareburt is among the Aquablacks set to compete, returning home from Melbourne where he has been based since earlier this year.
"It's been a big change moving to Melbourne but I'm loving being around a big group of athletes who are really pushing me. I'm looking forward to Nationals, it's always a great week of competition. There are some amazing youngsters coming through and I'm excited to see them in action."
Key Details
Heats will be held from 9am each morning, with finals held in the evening from 6pm. Whilst there is no better place to watch the racing than live from in the grandstands, all sessions of the championships will be available live and free on the Swimming NZ YouTube channel.
Dates: 13 - 17 May
Location: Sir Owen G Glenn National Aquatic Centre, Auckland
Heats Start: 8.55am (livestream), 9am (racing)
Finals Start: 5.50pm (livestream), 6pm (racing)
We also welcome back the Legends Relay on Saturday night, where our Kiwi favourites return to the pool and raise money for the NZ Swimming Trust who help support of next wave of swimmers.
Day Previews
Each day of competition has must watch races. An overview of each day has been provided below.
Day One - Wednesday 13 May
Events:
Men's 1500m freestyle
Women's 400m freestyle
Men's & women's 100m breaststroke – multi-class
Men's 200m individual medley
Women's 200m backstroke
Men's & women's 100m backstroke – multi-class
Men's 50m backstroke
Women's 50m butterfly
Men's 100m breaststroke
Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay – multi-class
Women's & men's 4x100m freestyle relays
Some of the key races to watch include:
The women’s 400m freestyle will feature three Olympians, with Erika Fairweather (North Shore), Eve Thomas (Coast), and Caitlin Deans (Neptune & Swim Dunedin) all in action.
The Para swimming programme gets underway, with defending Commonwealth Games champion Josh Willmer (Coast) the one to watch in the men's 100m breaststroke against a strong Australian contingent. Meanwhile, Jessica Johnstone (St Peter's) and Gaby Smith (Wharenui) will go head-to-head in the women's event.
Exciting youngster Ariel Muchirahondo (Swim Rotorua) takes on four-time Commonwealth Games medallist Lewis Clareburt (United) in the men's 200m individual medley – the first of several meetings between the pair across the week.
In the women's 50m butterfly, Olympian Hazel Ouwehand (Phoenix) and World Junior champion Zoe Pedersen (Coast) are set to be in a league of their own, with both swimmers within striking distance of the national record.
Day Two - Thursday 14 May
Events:
Women's 200m freestyle
Men's 50m freestyle
Women's & men's 200m freestyle – multi-class
Women's 100m backstroke
Men's 100m butterfly
Women's & men's 100m butterfly – multi-class
Women's 100m breaststroke
Men's 400m freestyle
Women's 200m butterfly
Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay
Mixed 4x100m medley relay
Some of the key races to watch include:
The women's 200m freestyle shapes up as one of the week's deepest events. Erika Fairweather leads the charge, with Aquablacks Milana Tapper (St Peter's), Caitlin Deans (Neptune & Swim Dunedin), Chelsey Edwards (North Shore) and Eve Thomas (Coast) all in the field alongside strong Australian competition. With potential relay spots on the line, expect fast swimming throughout.
Expect emerging sprinter Harrison Klouwens (United) to lead the way in the men's 50m freestyle, after hitting the development time for the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships late last year, however he will be up against a field of strong sprinters including a number of Aquablacks.
The women's 100m backstroke will see Coast teammates Amber George, Savannah-Eve Martin and Milan Glintmeyer all targeting Commonwealth Games qualification times.
Day Three - Friday 15 May
Events:
Men's 200m freestyle
Women's 100m freestyle
Men's & women's 400m freestyle – multi-class
Men's 50m breaststroke
Women's 1500m freestyle
Men's & women's 50m backstroke – multi-class
Men's 200m backstroke
Women's 100m butterfly
Men's & women's 50m butterfly – multi-class
Men's 4x200m freestyle relay
Some of the key races to watch include:
Lewis Clareburt (United) returns to the pool for the men's 200m freestyle after breaking the national record by nearly two seconds in the event last month. Expect Clareburt to be in strong form as he goes up against Aquablacks Carter Swift (United) and Cameron Gray (United).
The women's 100m freestyle will feature a strong battle between Chelsey Edwards (North Shore), Milana Tapper (St Peter's), and Zoe Pedersen (Coast), with youngster Alyssa Lawson (Hamilton Aquatics) also one to watch.
The women's 1500m freestyle brings together Olympians Erika Fairweather (North Shore), Caitlin Deans (Neptune & Swim Dunedin), and Eve Thomas (Coast) for another showdown in the distance events, with Commonwealth Games qualifying marks within reach for the trio.
The men's 200m backstroke will see New Zealand record holder Kane Follows (Neptune & Swim Dunedin) take on youngster Ariel Muchirahondo (Swim Rotorua), with the pair looking to push each other towards strong performances.
Olympian and national record holder Hazel Ouwehand (Phoenix) leads the field in the women's 100m butterfly while targeting the Commonwealth Games qualifying mark. Meanwhile, Rylee Sayer (Hamilton Aquatics) is expected to be in strong form in the women's multi-class 50m butterfly.
Day Four - Saturday 16 May
Events:
Legends Relay
Men's 200m butterfly
Women's 400m individual medley
Men's & women's 50m breaststroke – multi-class
Women's 50m backstroke
Men's 100m freestyle
Women's & men's 100m freestyle – multi-class
Women's 50m breaststroke
Men's 800m freestyle
Women's 4x200m freestyle relay
Some of the key races to watch include:
Ariel Muchirahondo (Swim Rotorua) is set to lead the field in the men's 200m butterfly, while Gina McCarthy (Hamilton Aquatics) will be the one to watch in the women's 400m individual medley.
Coast duo Amber George and Savannah-Eve Martin will battle it out in the women's 50m backstroke after making their Aquablack debuts last year and now targeting the Commonwealth Games standard.
The men's 100m freestyle is sure to be an action-packed showcase, featuring Olympians Lewis Clareburt and Cameron Gray (United), Aquablacks Carter Swift (United) and Michael Pickett (United), as well as up-and-coming sprinter Harrison Klouwens.
In the multi-class events, Rylee Sayer and Cameron Leslie (Whangarei) lead the New Zealand swimmers in the 100m freestyle.
Day Five - Sunday 17 May
Events:
Men's 400m individual medley
Women's 200m individual medley
Men's & women's 200m individual medley – multi-class
Men's 50m butterfly
Women's 50m freestyle
Men's & women's 50m freestyle – multi-class
Men's 200m breaststroke
Women's 800m freestyle
Women's 200m breaststroke
Men's 100m backstroke
Mixed 4x100m medley relay – multi-class
Women's 4x100m medley relay
Men's 4x100m medley relay
Some of the key races to watch include:
Lewis Clareburt (United) and Ariel Muchirahondo (Swim Rotorua) meet for the second time during the week in the men's 400m individual medley.
Cameron Leslie (Whangarei) lines up against 14-time Paralympic medallist Takayuki Suzuki of Japan in the men's 50m freestyle — one of the week's most anticipated match-ups. The pair are separated by less than half a second on entry times and stood on the podium together in Singapore last year.
Aquablack Rylee Sayer (Hamilton Aquatics) rounds out her week with the multi-class 50m freestyle after breaking the S7 New Zealand record twice in the sprint event at the recent Australian Open.
Commonwealth Games medallist Cameron Gray (United) will be looking for a strong performance in the men's 50m butterfly, while Chelsey Edwards (North Shore) will be the one to watch in the women's 50m freestyle.
The women's 800m freestyle sees Olympians Erika Fairweather (North Shore), Caitlin Deans (Neptune & Swim Dunedin), and Eve Thomas (Coast) battle it out one final time across the week's distance programme.
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