There will be new faces hitting the pool for New Zealand at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, with several athletes in the 12-strong squad named to make their debut on the stage.
Along with the experience of Gold Coast Commonwealth Games double gold medallist and New Zealand's most decoratedParalympian Dame Sophie Pascoe and 2018 Games bronze medalist Lewis Clareburt, several athletes will compete at the Commonwealth Games for the first time.
Among the debutants are rising teenage stars Erika Fairweather, Cameron Gray and Joshua Willmer, alongside Hazel Ouwehand, Andrew Jeffcoat and Mya Rasmussen, while Paralympic Games gold medallist Tupou Neiufi attends her second, after a sixth-placed finish in the 100m Backstroke S9 in 2018.
"It's been a difficult couple of years for all our swimmers with their international campaigns being impacted by Covid," Swimming New Zealand chief executive Steve Johns said.
"The team selected has shown remarkable resilience and deserve their places and the opportunity to represent New Zealand at this pinnacle international event."
While the able-bodied athletes' selections are confirmed, the four para-athletes (Pascoe, Neiufi, Willmer and Reynolds) have been conditionally selected and cannot be fully confirmed until the New Zealand Olympic Committee has received confirmation of quota places. That confirmation is expected within the next week.
The squad will begin heading overseas in May, ahead of the FINA World Championships to be held in Budapest in June, with the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July.
