Swimming: Erika Fairweather and the importance of being present

Erika Fairweather was the youngest member of the New Zealand Olympic team in Tokyo. Photo / Getty Images

Rising swimming star Erika Fairweather was thrust into the public eye when she was the youngest athlete named in the New Zealand team for the Tokyo Olympics. She speaks with Christopher Reive about life in and out of the pool.

The importance of the present isn't lost on Erika Fairweather.

The young Dunedin swimmer stepped into a new world in 2021 when named to represent New Zealand at the Tokyo Olympic Games. At just 17, she was the youngest athlete in the Kiwi contingent.

With that came new experiences — a bigger stage, a different level of competition and a whole lot of media attention.

Fairweather competed in three events at Tokyo: the 4x200m freestyle relay, 200m freestyle and 400m freestyle. In the latter, she shone and qualified for the final.

While many young athletes might be overwhelmed, Fairweather took it all in her stride.

"It just gave me a confidence boost. It was a massive learning experience; that's what we knew it was going into it," Fairweather says. "I don't try to put pressure on myself; I find it hurts you rather than helps you.

"I tried to go in without expectations. It was an Olympic Games like no other, it was going to be different to anything else there'd ever been before, so going in and just kind of going with the flow was how we managed that."

Fairweather started swimming from a young age simply as a means of learning water safety. Once she could swim, she carried on, and by the age of 13, was getting close to national records.

Committing to swimming is not easy for a teenager. A typical weekday would see her in the pool by 5am before going to school, back in the pool after school, and then heading home for dinner and doing it all again the next day. She couldn't tell you how many hours of her life have been spent in a pool.

"Oh, a lot. I'm not the greatest mathematician, so I won't try to chuck you a figure, but it's a crazy amount," she says.

With studies and exams also on her plate, Fairweather says juggling all her commitments was a challenge, but she got plenty of help from her school.

She worked with her Kavanagh College teachers to make sure she got the grades required to pass NCEA levels 1, 2 and 3; she didn't overcommit herself by doing every internal or external test, and instead focused on what she needed.

She also has a straightforward approach to swimming, with a clear mental picture when on the blocks.

"It's just something you're prepared for. I try to keep a clear mind — I get up on the blocks and I know what I'm going to do in that race," Fairweather says.

Now 18, out of high school and studying a Bachelor of Environmental Science through Massey University's distance programme, Fairweather has her next challenge in front of her.

In July, she will represent New Zealand once more when she lines up on the blocks at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Fairweather has qualified for the 400m and 200m freestyle, and can compete in the 100m freestyle as well — though she is unlikely to jump into that event.

Heading into just her second major open competition representing New Zealand, the approach will be familiar for Fairweather. While she has goals, she prefers to keep them close to her chest and put the focus on what is in front of her.

"I'm definitely not one to really speak about goals; they're something I keep quite close to me," she says. "But just continuing to lay down good performances and swimming at that top level is something that I aim to do in the short-term and long-term future."