Olympics swimming hopeful Emma Godwin off the pace in Games dream bid

The Olympic Games dream of Hawke’s Bay swimmer Emma Godwin appeared to be over after she finished third in the women’s 200 metres backstroke final at the Apollo Projects 2024 New Zealand Swimming Championships in Hastings.

Hawke's Bay swimmer Emma Godwin on the way in her 200 metres backstroke heat at the New Zealand Swimming Championships in Hastings on Friday, hoping for an Olympic Games qualifying time. Photo / Warren Buckland.

Conceding as the April 9-13 championships and Olympic trials were about to start on Tuesday that with her 27th birthday less than a fortnight away it would be her last chance, she started top qualifier for the Friday-evening showdown at the Hawke’s Bay Regional Aquatic Centre and one of three hopefuls chasing the qualifying standard of 2m 10.39s.

But the Heretaunga Sundevils swimmer faded in the second half of the race, with 29-year-old 2026 Rio Olympics representative Helena Gasson, of Auckland club Coast, drawing away to win in 2m 11.03s as all three hopefuls missed the mark.

Gina McCarthy, of Hamilton Aquatics, was second in 2m 13.71s, and Godwin was third in 2m 16.58s, well off the 2m 12.74s she had swum in the heats earlier in the day.

Godwin went into the championships with a personal best of 2m 6.77s, clocked in winning a short-course title in a 25m pool in 2019, and a 50m-pool best of 2m 12.36s at a national championships in 2022.

The championships got off to a flying start on Tuesday with a blistering women’s 1500m freestyle Olympics A qualifying time of 16m 7.46s for England-born Eve Thomas, heading for her second Olympics, and two swimmers posting Paralympics times.

Auckland 24-year-old Hazel Ouwehand (Phoenix Aquatics) then showed there were prospects for the older swimmers when she set a national women’s 50m Butterfly record of 25.88s on Wednesday and followed with the 100m record on Thursday, swimming an Olympics qualifying time of 57.43s.

Also on Thursday, new world men’s 400m medley champion Lewis Clareburt broke a national 400m freestyle record that had stood for 12 years, although his time was just short of another Olympics qualifying time.

The championships are being followed by the national age group championships, also at the aquatics centre and starting on Monday.