Taiko Torepe-Ormsby has made history at the Apollo Projects New Zealand Swimming Championships by setting a new national record in the 50m Freestyle event. The Christchurch swimmer’s time of 21.86 seconds is the fastest ever by a New Zealander and is also under the Olympic qualification standard. This is the first time a New Zealander has completed the distance in under 22 seconds.
Torepe-Ormsby, who has been studying and swimming in the US for the past three years at the University of Wisconsin, was thrilled with his performance. “I’ve dreamed about this moment for my whole life,” he said. “I’ve been going fast the last couple of days, doing the sets my coach told me and I just can’t believe I got that Olympic time.”
Three-time Paralympian Cameron Leslie also had a successful swim, securing another Paris qualification time by winning the 50m Freestyle (S4) in 38.14 seconds. Leslie was pleased with his effort, saying, “I just enjoy swimming, I love the training and the competition and it’s great to be here this week.”
So far, seven athletes have met the Olympic qualification time, and four have achieved the Paralympic qualification time. Over 180 athletes are competing at the championships, which run from April 9 to April 13. This event is the last chance for New Zealand’s top swimmers to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. All sessions of the event are being livestreamed free on the Whakaata Maori YouTube channel.
