Showdowns in Sprint Races Highlight Day Two

dale493
Sep 23
5 min read

Day Two Wrap - 2025 NZ Short Course Swimming Championships

Day two of finals racing at the 2025 NZ Short Course Swimming Championships started with a bang as three NZ record holders squared off in the women’s 100m freestyle.

Chelsey Edwards (North Shore) fresh off her NZ record the night before, faced stiff opposition with Olympian Hazel Ouwehand (Phoenix Aquatics) and Junior World Champion Zoe Pedersen (Coast).

Edwards set the pace from the blocks and never relinquished her lead, powering home to win the national title in 53.20, just outside her record mark of 53.06. Rebecca Meder (North Shore) claimed the visitor silver, while Zoe Pedersen (Coast) secured the Kiwi silver and Rae Kwan (Club 37) the Kiwi bronze.

The men’s 100m freestyle proved just as exciting. Jasper Cornish (Coast) went out hard and held the lead for much of the race, but Cameron Gray (United) swam a blistering final 25m to storm past and claim the title in 47.81. Jack Hendy (Club 37) touched in second, with Cornish settling for third.

In the women’s 400m freestyle multi-class final, Paralympian Lili-Fox Mason (Wharenui) delivered a great swim, carving eight seconds off her heat time to win in 4:51.03. Melissa Donoghue (Hamilton Aquatics) followed for second, with Amber Proudfoot (Aquagym) in third.

Daniel Smith (Pukekohe) captured his second title of the championships with a composed swim in the men’s 400m freestyle multi-class, with his time of 4:21.08 setting a S19 New Zealand record. Thomas Magill (Papamoa) impressed with a 4:36.02 effort to notch a 16&U S19 record and take second place, while David Beck (Club 37) rounded out the podium in third.

Erika Fairweather (North Shore) branched out from her usual freestyle discipline to contest the women’s 400m individual medley. The two-time Olympian was a cut above, building a solid lead throughout the race before powering home in the freestyle to finish in 4:35.14 and comfortably claim the national title. Gina McCarthy (Hamilton Aquatics & RPC Waikato) finished second, with Emilia Finer (Neptune & Swim Dunedin) in third.

“It’s a bit of a side quest for me at the moment,” said Fairweather of her decision to race the medley. “I’m really enjoying doing some training that’s different from freestyle stuff and it’s a good challenge.”

The men’s 400m individual medley was all about record holder Lewis Clareburt (Club 37), who showed his class in a commanding performance. Clareburt powered through the strokes to finish half a length clear of the field, stopping the clock at 4:05.94. The real battle played out behind him, with Australian visitors Oscar Kreutzberger and Luke Higgs going stroke for stroke for much of the race. Higgs found another gear on the final leg to claim second, with Kreutzberger third. Nemanja Markovic (North Shore) earned the Kiwi silver, while Hunter Lloyd (Raumati) secured the Kiwi bronze.

The women’s 50m butterfly featured a much anticipated showdown between national record holder Hazel Ouwehand and World Junior Champion Zoe Pedersen. However it was visitor Rebecca Meder who set the pace over the first 25m before Ouwehand fought back on the home stretch, with the pair finishing in a tie for first in 25.81. Pedersen took the Kiwi silver with Brearna Crawford (Waitakere) in bronze.

In the women’s multi-class version of the 50m butterfly, Lili-Fox Mason impressed again, storming home in 32.84 to take gold. Emily Mullany (Dannevirke) touched in second, with Aimee Van Aardt (Pukekohe) collecting the Kiwi bronze. Charlotte Murphy (Aquagym) also swam a great race, setting a S6 New Zealand record with a strong time of 53.39.

The men’s 50m butterfly was up next with the race going to Australian visitor Alex Quach in 22.83, while Jack Hendy (Club 37) claimed the Kiwi gold in 23.22. Cameron Gray followed close behind for the Kiwi silver, with Christopher Elson (Vikings) rounding out the podium with the Kiwi bronze.

Daniel Smith continued his strong run of form in the men’s multi-class 50m butterfly, powering ahead to secure his third national title of the meet in 26.96. Jole Watkins (Pukekohe) earned silver just under two seconds back, with David Beck (Club 37) taking bronze.

The 4 x 100m medley relays rounded out the evening. Aquablack Amber George got Coast A off to a strong start in the women’s event, her backstroke leg giving them a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the race. Zoe Pedersen powered home to the wall to win it for her team in 3:58.30. North Shore A placed second while Hamilton Aquatics A stormed in the freestyle to get on the podium in third.

The men’s medley saw Swimming New South Wales hold a narrow lead over the first half of the race. Coast Swimming Club A fought their way back into contention, inching ahead in the butterfly before the visitors came back in the freestyle. The swimmers were neck and neck in the last 25m, with the Australians finishing in 3:33.60, just 0.16s ahead of Coast who won the Kiwi gold. North Shore A took the Kiwi silver, and United A the Kiwi bronze.

There were many other strong performances across the age groups across the morning. We have acknowledged the record-breaking performances from the morning below:

Zoe Pedersen - women's 100m freestyle (53.68) - 18 years NZ age record
Grayson Coulter (North Shore) - men's 100m freestyle (50.58) - 13 years NZ age record
Daniel Smith - men's 400m freestyle multi-class (4:29.12) - S19 NZ record
Thomas Magill - men's 400m freestyle multi-class (4:40.63) - S19 NZ age record)
Chloe Gladwin (Whakatane) - women's 400m individual medley multi-class (5:30.70) - SM19 NZ record
Ian Chen (St Paul's) - men's 400m individual medley multi-class (4:58.93) - SM19 NZ record
Zoe Pedersen - women's 50m butterfly (25.96) - 18 years NZ age record
Charlotte Murphy - women's 50m butterfly multi-class (53.79) - S6 NZ record
Grayson Coulter - men's 50m butterfly (25.64) - 13 years NZ age record

More than 700 athletes from around the country are swimming at these championships at the Sir Owen G Glenn Aquatic Centre on Auckland’s North Shore. Age group medals are awarded from the morning session, with open medals awarded in the evening session.

Make sure you are following the Swimming NZ social media channels to stay up-to-date with the action across the week. Day two has plenty more exciting races that you won't want to miss.

All sessions of the event are being streamed live and free on the Swimming NZ YouTube channel.

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