wimmers from across the region recently travelled to Auckland to compete at the 2026 New Zealand Championships, gaining valuable experience and producing a number of strong performances against the country’s top athletes.

While the championships are always highly competitive, it was fantastic to see our swimmers step up on the national stage, with several medal-winning swims alongside many personal best times, finals appearances, and impressive performances throughout the meet.

Open Medal Winners

Caleb Carlisle (Aquahawks) secured two Open medals with strong performances across the week:

• 🥈 Silver – 50m Breaststroke (28.51)
• 🥉 Bronze – 100m Butterfly (53.79)

Lance Dustow (CHB) delivered an excellent multiclass campaign, earning:

• 🥇 Gold – Multiclass 200m Backstroke (2:51.26)
• 🥈 Silver – Multiclass 100m Backstroke (1:17.56)

Age Group Medal Winner

Paige Franklin (CHB) also reached the podium with a strong swim to claim:

• 🥉 Bronze – 17–18 Years 200m Breaststroke (2:43.61)

Beyond the medals, many other swimmers from the region achieved personal best performances and valuable race experience at one of New Zealand’s premier swimming events. Competing at this level is an important step in athlete development, and it was encouraging to see so many swimmers rise to the challenge and continue progressing throughout the season.

The championships provided athletes with the opportunity to test themselves against the best in the country, gain experience in a high-performance environment, and continue building towards future goals.

Congratulations to all swimmers, coaches, clubs, and supporters involved in the campaign. Your hard work and commitment throughout the season were proudly on display in Auckland.