Swimming Team Selected for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

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Team Announcement for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

A 13-strong swimming squad has been named to represent the New Zealand Team at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, headlined by 2024 world champions Erika Fairweather and Lewis Clareburt, and defending Commonwealth Games champion Josh Willmer.

The team showcases the depth and growth of talent in New Zealand swimming, with seven athletes named for their first Commonwealth Games.

The athletes were selected off the back of outstanding performances during the qualification window, including at the New Zealand Swimming Championships in Auckland last month where Fairweather broke her own national record in the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:55.06.

It will be a busy Games for Fairweather who has been named across four individual events; the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle, as well as taking on relay duties in both the women's 4x200m freestyle and the mixed 4x100m freestyle relays.

“Glasgow is going to be an amazing experience and I’m really looking forward to the competition,” said Fairweather. “I’m really excited to have the opportunity to compete for my first Commonwealth Games medal.”

Caitlin Deans, Milana Tapper and Eve Thomas will join Fairweather in the women's 4x200m freestyle relay, while Chelsey Edwards, Cameron Gray and Carter Swift will contest the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay alongside Fairweather.

Outside of the relays, Deans and Thomas are named for the 400m and 800m freestyle events, while Edwards, Tapper, Gray and Swift each line up across combinations of the sprint events.

Medley specialist Clareburt is set to compete in four events after leading a standout swimming campaign at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games where he won gold in the 400m individual medley – a Commonwealth record time.

He also topped the podium in the 200m butterfly and won bronze in the 200m individual medley. He will contest those events again in Glasgow, adding the 200m freestyle after smashing the New Zealand record earlier this year.

Another Birmingham 2022 champion who’s back in the mix at Glasgow 2026 is Para swimmer Josh Willmer.

The 21-year-old won gold in the men’s 100m breaststroke SB8 at Birmingham 2022 and will compete up a classification at Glasgow 2026, taking on the SB9, with the SB8 not on the Games programme.

Butterfly specialist Hazel Ouwehand is aiming for her first Commonwealth medal as she contests the 50m and 100m butterfly. Ouwehand has been in fine form, currently ranked in the top eight in the world across the 50m distance this season.

Junior World Champion, Zoe Pedersen, joins Ouwehand in the 50m Butterfly. At just 19-years-old, Pedersen will also contest the 50m and 100m freestyle.

Rounding out the team are the backstroke duo of Amber George and Savannah-Eve Martin, with both set to line up in the 50m and 100m distances.

Swimming New Zealand Head Coach – Olympic Pathway, Graham Hill, said the team is building well ahead of their Glasgow 2026 campaign.

“The depth in this squad, across relays, individual events and Para swimming gives us real reason for confidence. We're going to be very competitive and every athlete on this team is capable of outstanding performances,” said Hill. “The Commonwealth Games is a pinnacle campaign for us and crucially, it also gives us a great opportunity to compete and test ourselves at an elite event just two years out from the Olympic Games.”

New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) CEO, Nicki Nicol, welcomed the announcement.

“Congratulations to all the athletes selected to the New Zealand Team for Glasgow 2026. We know this selection comes off the back of years of hard graft and sacrifice,” said Nicol. “At any Games, the swimming events are always keenly followed and the competitiveness and standards will again be high. We know you will all represent New Zealand well and wear the fern with pride.”

Team Selected

Name	Club	Coach
Lewis Clareburt	United	Jol Finck (Nunawading)
Caitlin Deans	Neptune & Swim Dunedin	Lars Humer
Chelsey Edwards	North Shore	Graham Hill
Erika Fairweather	North Shore	Graham Hill
Amber George	Coast	Michael Weston
Cameron Gray	United	Andy McMillan
Savannah-Eve Martin	Coast	Michael Weston
Hazel Ouwehand	Phoenix Aquatics	David Lyles
Zoe Pedersen	Coast	Michael Weston
Carter Swift	United	Tommy Fraser-Holmes (Griffith University)
Milana Tapper	St Peter's	Tommy Fraser-Holmes (Griffith University)
Eve Thomas	Coast	Michael Weston
Joshua Willmer	Coast	Michael Weston

Support Staff

Name	Organisation / Club	Role
Graham Hill	Swimming NZ & North Shore	Head Coach
Michael Weston	Coast	Assistant Coach
David Lyles	Phoenix Aquatics	Assistant Coach
Matt Ingram	HPSNZ	Team Manager / Analyst
Rebecca Longhurst	HPSNZ	Team Physio

Swimmer Events

Asterisk (*) indicates events in which athletes have been successfully granted permission to start at the Games.

Lewis Clareburt

Men's 200m individual medley
Men's 400m individual medley
Men's 200m freestyle **
Men's 200m butterfly **

Caitlin Deans

Women's 4x200m freestyle relay
Women's 400m freestyle **
Women's 800m freestyle **

Chelsey Edwards

Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay
Women's 50m freestyle **
Women's 100m freestyle **

Erika Fairweather

Women’s 200m freestyle
Women's 400m freestyle
Women's 800m freestyle
Women’s 4x200m freestyle relay
Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay

Amber George

Women's 50m backstroke
Women's 100m backstroke **

Cameron Gray

Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay
Men's 100m freestyle **
Men's 50m butterfly **

Savannah-Eve Martin

Women's 50m backstroke
Women's 100m backstroke **

Hazel Ouwehand

Women's 50m butterfly
Women's 100m butterfly **

Zoe Pedersen

Women's 50m butterfly
Women's 50m freestyle **
Women's 100m freestyle **

Carter Swift

Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay
Men's 100m freestyle **

Milana Tapper

Women's 4x100m freestyle relay
Women's 50m freestyle **
Women's 100m freestyle **

Eve Thomas

Women's 4x200m freestyle relay
Women's 400m freestyle **
Women's 800m freestyle **

Joshua Willmer

Men's 100m breaststroke SB9