New Zealand Swimmers Test Themselves at World Junior Open Water Champs
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Competition Wrap – 2026 World Aquatics Junior Open Water Swimming Championships
New Zealand sent its largest-ever junior open water team to Santa Fe, Argentina, and the ten-strong squad delivered four days of gutsy racing at the 2026 World Aquatics Junior Open Water Swimming Championships, banking six top-25 placings along the way.
With the team racing at the major international level for the first time, the championships offered invaluable experience against some of the world's best young open water swimmers – exposure that will stand the squad in good stead as they continue to develop.
In the individual events, it was 14-year-old Amelia McEwan (Mount Maunganui – coached by Stan Teokotai-White) and 15-year-old Dominic Barton (North Shore – coached by Rance Gower-Winter) that placed the highest out of the New Zealand team.
The duo each competed in the 14-15 years 5km distance – placing 17th in the women's and men's events, respectively.
McEwan got off to a strong start on the women's side, sitting in 12th place at the end of lap one, before getting caught in the pack a little over the following laps. The 14-year-old dug deep over the final lap to climb her way through the field to finish in 17th place, out-touching Kazakhstan's Darina Syssoyeva and Brazil's Manuela Santos to stop the clock in 1:03:54.3. It was a particularly impressive performance, with McEwan on the younger side of the age group having only turned 14 in May.
On the men's side, Dominic Barton sat in 12th place for the opening two laps of the race, before falling back to 19th place at the end of lap three. He left it all in the water over the final lap, touching the finishing pad in 17th place in a close finish between six swimmers. Barton managed to stop the clock ahead of the pack, finishing in 59:43.0, with less than two seconds separating 17th through 22nd place. The effort was less than two minutes outside of the top-ten in the event.
Another stand-out performer across the championships was Tyler Lushkott (North Shore – coached by Michelle Gillies). In the men's 16-17 years 7.5km, the 16-year-old placed 22nd out of 52 competitors. Lushkott held strong throughout the race, hovering between 27th and 22nd place over the first five laps before finishing in 1:26:32.1 to place 22nd. His time was two and a half minutes outside of the top ten.
Also in the men's 7.5km was Sheldon Hogan (Mount Maunganui – coached by Stan Teokotai-White) who placed 36th in 1:31:36.6.
In the women's 16-17 years 7.5km, Tegen Stewart (Nelson South – coached by Glen Findlay) was the top New Zealand performer, placing 26th in 1:40:01.8, while Maeve McDonnell (Howick Pakuranga – coached by Jana Wilkitzki) finished in 1:42:32.6 to take 33rd place.
The men's 18-19 years 10km saw Ethan Stocks (Roskill – coached by Josh Munro) finish 28th in 1:57:21.8, while Jack Barton (North Shore – coached by Michelle Gillies) took 34th place in 2:02:58.9.
On the women's side, Olivia Bates (North Shore – coached by Michelle Gillies) took 23rd place in what turned out to be quite a physical field. Olivia Emmett (Swim Rotorua – coached by Aidan Withington) was right with Bates through to the fourth lap, however on the fifth lap suffered a blow to the neck due to a racing incident that ended her race early – a reminder of how physical racing can become on the international stage.
The 3km Knock Out Sprint was back again, after debuting at the previous World Junior Open Water Championships in Italy. While two men and two women represented New Zealand in the events, a fast field meant none of the swimmers wound up progressing to the semi-finals this time around – however Tyler Lushkott was the closest, placing 12th in his heat just two places short of progressing – a promising sign of what's within reach as he gains more experience at this level.
Ethan Stocks, Olivia Bates, and Tegen Stewart were the three other New Zealanders to compete in this event.
The final day of competition saw New Zealand field teams in both the U16 and Open 4x1500m relays, with both teams placing within the top-15.
Lushkott teamed up with Amelia McEwan, Dominic Barton, and Maeve McDonnell in the U16 division, with Lushkott getting the team off to a strong start to be in second place at the first changeover. McEwan, racing against a number of male swimmers on that leg, handed over to the younger Barton in ninth place, before the 15-year-old reeled New Zealand back into seventh place at the final changeover. McDonnell anchored the team home to place 12th, finishing in 1:06:22.1.
In the open division, Jack Barton led the team off in 11th place over the first leg of the relay, before changing over to Olivia Emmett, who swam well against a number of male swimmers to hand over in 13th place. Ethan Stocks clawed his way into ninth place at the final changeover, before Olivia Bates anchored the team home to place 13th, finishing in 1:06:23.3.
While it was an action-packed four days of racing against strong international competition, the exposure gained from lining up against the world's best junior open water swimmers will prove invaluable as these young New Zealand swimmers continue to chase their long-term goals in the sport.
Congratulations to all of the swimmers, coaches and home clubs on their performances throughout the championships.
Results by Swimmer
Olivia Bates
Women's 10km – 23rd place (final: 2:10:47.10)
Women's 3km Knock Out Sprint – 17th place in heat 1 (heat: 16:54.50) – did not progress to semi-final
Mixed Open 4x1500m Relay – 13th place (final: 1:06:23.30)
Dominic Barton
Men's 5km – 17th place (final: 59:43.00)
Mixed U16 4x1500m Relay – 12th place (final: 1:06:22.10)
Jack Barton
Men's 10km – 34th place (final: 2:02:58.90)
Mixed Open 4x1500m Relay – 13th place (final: 1:06:23.30)
Olivia Emmett
Women's 10km – DNF
Mixed Open 4x1500m Relay – 13th place (final: 1:06:23.30)
Sheldon Hogan
Men's 7.5km – 36th place (final: 1:31:36.60)
Tyler Lushkott
Men's 7.5km – 22nd place (final: 1:26:32.10)
Men's 3km Knock Out Sprint – 12th place in heat 1 (heat: 15:13.60) – did not progress to semi-final
Mixed U16 4x1500m Relay – 12th place (final: 1:06:22.10)
Maeve McDonnell
Women's 7.5km – 33rd place (final: 1:42:32.60)
Mixed U16 4x1500m Relay – 12th place (final: 1:06:22.10)
Amelia McEwan
Women's 5km – 17th place (final: 1:03:54.30)
Mixed U16 4x1500m Relay – 12th place (final: 1:06:22.10)
Tegen Stewart
Women's 7.5km – 26th place (final: 1:40:01.80)
Women's 3km Knock Out Sprint – 20th place in heat 1 (heat: 17:56.80) – did not progress to semi-final
Ethan Stocks
Men's 10km – 28th place (final: 1:57:21.80)
Men's 3km Knock Out Sprint – 20th place in heat 1 (heat: 15:50.60) – did not progress to semi-final
Mixed Open 4x1500m Relay – 13th place (final: 1:06:23.30)
New Zealand team
Name | Club | Role |
Rance Gower-Winter | North Shore | Coach |
Jana Wilkitzki | Howick Pakuranga | Coach |
Alastair Bates | Team Manager |
Name | Club | Coach |
Jack Barton | North Shore | Michelle Gillies |
Olivia Bates | North Shore | Michelle Gillies |
Olivia Emmett | Swim Rotorua | Aidan Withington |
Ethan Stocks | Roskill | Josh Munro |
Sheldon Hogan | Mount Maunganui | Stan Teokotai-White |
Tyler Lushkott | North Shore | Michelle Gillies |
Maeve McDonnell | Howick Pakuranga | Rachel Palmer |
Tegen Stewart | Nelson South | Glen Findlay |
Dominic Barton | North Shore | Rance Gower-Winter |
Amelia McEwan | Mount Maunganui | Stan Teokotai-White |
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