Stage is Set For World Champs in Singapore
- Jul 18, 2025
- 5 min read
Competition Preview of the 2025 World Aquatics Championships
Our New Zealand swimming team are set for the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, with the first of our Aquablacks getting underway tomorrow in the open water swimming.
Following strong performances at the 2025 Apollo Projects NZ Swimming Championships, a team of twelve swimmers were selected for the pinnacle competition of the year. Within the team, six swimmers will make their Aquablack debut, showcasing the talent coming through to the senior ranks.
The team is headlined by reigning World Champions Erika Fairweather (North Shore) and Lewis Clareburt (Club 37). They will be joined by two-time Olympian Eve Thomas (Coast) and Olympian Caitlin Deans (Neptune & Swim Dunedin) as the four swimmers on the team to have competed in Paris last year. Commonwealth Games gold medallist Andrew Jeffcoat returns for his fourth World Championships appearance and 2014 Commonwealth Games athlete Laura Quilter (Coast) takes another step in her return to competitive swimming on her first Aquablack team for eleven years.
Louis Clark (North Shore) will be the first swimmer to represent New Zealand in Singapore, when he debuts as an Aquablack in the new 3km knockout open water event.
Swimming NZ’s Olympic Head Coach, Graham Hill, believes Clark is ready for the challenge in the open water.
“It’s exciting for a first time Aquablack to kick start our campaign in an event that has never been raced before at a World Aquatics Championships.”
Clark’s event is scheduled for Saturday 19 July from 2pm NZST.
Five other swimmers will make their Aquablack debut across the eight days of pool competition. Amber George (Coast) and Finn Harland (Coast) will make their debut on day two when they compete in the 100m backstroke. Milana Tapper (St Peter’s) will race the 200m freestyle on day three, with Savannah-Eve Martin (Coast) making her debut the following day. Zoe Pedersen (Coast) will be the last of our debutants to race, waiting until day six of pool competition for her opportunity in the 50m butterfly.
Clareburt believes the team has a good mix of experience and youth on the team in Singapore.
"It's awesome! We've got that next breed of young swimmers that you know are gonna help push us towards LA. So to be able to have that mix of new and then also some of us more experienced swimmers, I think it's gonna be a unique mix and I think it's gonna be awesome."
Hill is enthusiastic about the World Aquatics Championships getting underway.
“I’m excited to be at the World Aquatics Championships for the first time with New Zealand. The team preparation has been great and we are looking forward to some good swims.”
Pool competition begins on Sunday 27 July with heats from 2pm NZST and finals from 11pm NZST later that evening. You can stay up-to-date with the action by following our social media channels for live updates and our website for wraps of the action taking place each day.
You can watch the livestream through the World Aquatics Recast platform by purchasing access from the link below.
Assisting with the delivery of competition, we have some technical officials and commission members playing key roles in the delivery of the championships in Singapore. We would like to congratulate and recognise each of the following for their roles:
David Gerrard (Auckland) – World Aquatics Medical Committee
Gavin Ion (Waikato) – Pool
Paul Matson (Wellington) – Open Water
John West (Auckland) – Open Water & World Aquatics OWTSC
Daily Schedule
*Start times are subject to change, while semi-finals and finals are subject to athlete progression
Saturday 19 July
Open Water – racing from 2pm NZST
Men’s 3km knockout (Clark)
Sunday 27 July
Day One Heats – from 2pm NZST
Women’s 400m freestyle (Fairweather & Thomas)
Day One Semis/Finals (potential) – from 11pm NZST
Women’s 400m freestyle final (Fairweather* & Thomas*)
Monday 28 July
Day Two Heats – from 2pm NZST
Women’s 1500m freestyle (Deans & Thomas)
Women’s 100m backstroke (George)
Men’s 100m backstroke (Harland)
Day Two Semis/Finals (potential) – from 11pm NZST
Women’s 100m backstroke semi-final (George*)
Men’s 100m backstroke semi-final (Harland*)
Tuesday 29 July
Day Three Heats – from 2pm NZST
Women's 200m freestyle (Fairweather & Tapper)
Men's 200m butterfly (Clareburt)
Day Three Semis/Finals (potential) - from 11pm NZST
Women's 1500m freestyle final (Deans* & Thomas*)
Women’s 100m backstroke final (George*)
Men’s 100m backstroke final (Harland*)
Women's 200m freestyle semi-final (Fairweather* & Tapper*)
Men's 200m butterfly semi-final (Clareburt*)
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* & Tapper*)
Women's 50m backstroke semi-final (George* & Martin*)
Men's 200m butterfly final (Clareburt*)
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
Lewis Clareburt
200m butterfly (1:57.06)
200m individual medley (entry time: 1:57.36)
400m individual medley (entry time: 4:10.44)
Louis Clark
Men's 3km knockout open water
Caitlin Deans
800m freestyle (entry time: 8:29.32)
1500m freestyle (entry time: 16:12.18)
Erika Fairweather
200m freestyle (enrty time: 1:55.45)
400m freestyle (entry time: 4:01.12)
800m freestyle (entry time: 8:21.67)
Amber George
50m backstroke (entry time: 27.92)
100m backstroke (entry time: 1:00.84)
Finn Harland
50m backstroke (entry time: 24.88)
100m backstroke (entry time: 54.74)
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 (entry time: 1:57.95)
Eve Thomas
400m freestyle (entry time: 4:06.41)
1500m freestyle (16:07.46)
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 |
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