Hazel Ouwehand aims for glory at Fina World Short Course Championships 2024

Hazel Ouwehand celebrates after setting a new national record in the 50m butterfly event. Photo / Simon Watts, BWMedia.co.nz

After competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Hazel Ouwehand is preparing to represent New Zealand at the 17th Fina World Short Course Championships 2024.

The competition will take place in Hungary from December 10-15.

Ouwehand will compete in the women’s 50m and 100m butterfly races, as well as in the 4x100 women’s medley relay team.

The event, to be held at the Duna Arena in Budapest, is the first major competition marking the beginning of Ouwehand’s four-year campaign to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Having grown up in Te Pahū and attended Te Awamutu College, 24-year-old Ouwehand has a strong connection to the Waipā district.

Her swimming journey began when she was of primary school age with the Te Awamutu Swimming Club.

Over the years, she has not only honed her skills but also given back to the club by teaching and coaching junior swimmers.

Her hard work paid off when she recently competed for New Zealand at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

She currently holds the New Zealand records in both the 50m and 100m women’s butterfly events (long course).

After moving to Auckland in 2018 for university, she earned a Bachelor of Accountancy and now works part-time as an accountant at Baker Tilly Staples Rodway.

Balancing her professional career with her training schedule, Ouwehand is a rare example of a high-performance athlete who also works to support herself.

Unfortunately, the World Short Course Championships are not funded by Swimming New Zealand, making it a user-pays event.

To help cover costs, Ouwehand has set up a Givealittle page through which she hopes to gain community backing to make her home district proud.

“Prior to travelling to Budapest, we [the New Zealand swimming team] will be attending a staging camp at the X-Bionic Sphere in Slovakia,” Ouwehand said.

“This is essential to help us recover from the long-haul travel and any associated jet lag, to recover and then prepare our bodies to be in the best possible position to race fast in Budapest.

“The entirety of the campaign, from departure for Slovakia to arrival back in New Zealand, will be 17 days. As this is a user-pays event, we, the swimmers, bear any and all costs associated with this campaign.

“Contributions of any size are immensely appreciated and if you are unable to donate, I would be forever grateful if you could share this page far and wide.”

Funds raised will go towards flights to Vienna for the camp in Slovakia, accommodation costs in both Slovakia and Budapest and return flights to New Zealand.

She will also be at the 2024 Cornerstone Trust Fundraising Luncheon on November 29 sharing her Olympic experiences with the Te Awamutu community.

For those interested in supporting Ouwehand, visit givealittle.co.nz/cause/hazel-ouwehand-to-compete-world-short-swim-champs and the World Aquatics website for results or to watch the event.

Jesse Wood is a multimedia journalist based in Te Awamutu. He joined the Te Awamutu Courier and NZME in 2020.