Swimming NZ names young team for World Champs

Helena Gasson during her qualifying swim in the 200m individual medley. Photo / BW Media

Swimming New Zealand has announced a 12-strong team to contest July's FINA World Championship in Budapest.

It comprises eight swimmers who qualified for individual events at the New Zealand Open Championships that concluded at the Sir Owen G Glenn National Aquatic Centre on Saturday, along with the 2015 double world championship medallist, Lauren Boyle, who was selected based on her times set at the Rio Olympics, as she recovers from injury.

Also included are two young swimmers who will compete in the women's 4x100m medley relay in 17-year-old Bobbi Gichard, the Hawkes Bay swimmer now based at the United club in Auckland, and 21-year-old Natasha Lloyd, from the North Canterbury club but based on scholarship at Auburn University. Taranaki veteran Charlotte Webby was named earlier for open water competition.

It is one of the youngest New Zealand teams to a world championship with an average age of 21 years, including two teenagers in Gichard and fellow 17-year-old Gabrielle Fa'amausili.

The nine swimmers to attain individual qualification in the pool is the highest number since 2005.

Swimming New Zealand national head coach Jerry Olszewski was pleased with the make-up and promise of the team.

"The quality of performances at the national championships was better than expectation and it was very pleasing especially from the young swimmers," Olszewski. "Basically all of this team and a number who just missed teams we have a healthy group of swimmers as we prepare for Tokyo 2020 and beyond.

"The young swimmers like Gabrielle, Bobbi, Hayley McIntosh and Latacia Transom, and some younger male swimmers like Lewis Clareburt are exciting for the future.

The team, along with a number of other swimmers including Swimming New Zealand's high performance squad, head to the USA this week for a month-long stint of competition and training at the renowned high performance facility at Flagstaff, Arizona.

As well as the team selected for the World Championships, a further 10 swimmers were named for the World University Games to be held in Taipei in August.

The teams are:

World Championships, Budapest, 23-30 July:

Bradlee Ashby (21, Fairfield) 200m individual medley; Lauren Boyle (29, United) 400m, 800m freestyle; Gabrielle Fa'amausili (17, United) 50m freestyle, medley relay; Helena Gasson (22, Coast) 50m butterfly, 200m individual medley, medley relay; Bobbi Gichard (17, United) medley relay; Daniel Hunter (22, Howick Pakuranga) 50m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay; Natasha Lloyd (21, North Canterbury) medley relay; Corey Main (22, Howick Pakuranga) 200m backstroke, 4x100m freestyle relay; Sam Perry (21, St Peters) 50m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay; Emma Robinson (22, Capital) 800m, 1500m freestyle; Matthew Stanley (25, Matamata) 200m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay; Charlotte Webby (28, AquaBladz, Open Water)

World University Games, Taipei, 20-27 August:

Cornielle Coetzee (22, North Shore) 100m backstroke; Carina Doyle (23, North Shore) 100m, 200m freestyle; Jacob Garrod (20, North Shore, Massey University) 200M breaststroke; Matthew Hutchins (22, Wharenui, University of Wisconsin) 200m, 400m, 1500m freestyle; Bayley Main (20, Howick-Pakuranga, University of Florida) 100m backstroke; Georgia Marris (20, United, University of Florida) 200m freestyle; Michael Mincham (20, United, AUT) 1500m freestyle; George Schroder (21, Hokitika, Massey University) 100m, 200m breaststroke; Julian Weir (21, AquaBladz), Massey University) 100m freestyle; Sammy Winward (22, Waterhole, University of Otago) Open Water.