The New Zealand Olympic Committee announced toady that the nation will be sending four swimmers to compete in the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing this August.
The four athletes will include Gabrielle Fa’amausili, Bobbi Gichard, Jacob Garrod and Michael Mincham, who were all chosen based on their performances at the New Zealand Age Group Championships.
Fa’aumausili won the 50 backstroke at the FINA Junior World Championships last year in Dubai. She won both the 50 and 100 backstroke at the New Zealand National and Age Group National Championships. She qualified for the games by winning the 14 year old 50 backstroke in a time of 28.31.
Fa’aumausili’s rival Gichard captured her spot on the team by her performance in the 100 backstroke. She ultimately finished second to Fa’aumausili, but her of 1:02.40 earned 808 points on the FINA points chart which was good enough to put on her on the team.
Gichard’s time from the Age Group National Championships is not her fastest of the year as she posted a time of 1:01.34 at the national championships.
Garrod earned his place on the team by posting a time of 2:17.02 in the boy’s 200 breaststroke at the Age Group National Championships. He finished second in the race to George Schroder, who is too old to participate in Nanjing. He also won a silver in the 200 IM and a bronze in the 100 breaststroke at the age group national championships.
Garrod also collected a bronze in the 200 breaststroke at the national championships.
Mincham, who trains at the Southport School on the Gold Coast, qualified in the boy’s 400 freestyle where he won the event in a time of 3:59.11. The 17 year old also finished second in both the 800 and 1500 freestyle at the national championships.
The coach will be Josh Munro, the director of coaching at Roskill club, with the manager/coach Brigitte Mahan from North Canterbury Swim Club.