It is now only 1 day to go until the New Zealand Para Swimming Team begin competition at the 2018 Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships (Cairns, Australia) from 9 – 13 August.
7 out of the 9 Para swimmers arrived in Cairns early this week and have been preparing and training towards their pinnacle event. 3 x Paralympic gold medallist Cameron Leslie will arrive on Saturday following competing at the IWRF World Championships as part of the Wheel Blacks team; and international debutant Para swimmer Amanda Lowry will complete the team arriving one day earlier on Friday.
Graeme Maw (Para Swimming Programme Manager) said: “We’ve got a fabulous team on the ground here, and I’m watching each Para swimmer getting on with their own purposeful job, while clearly supporting each other. A highlight for the team will be a men’s relay team during the Championships as the New Zealand Para Swimming Team have not had a relay team for many years. Last night we had a fantastic moment when Sophie Pascoe recounted to the team the pride of being flag-bearer at the Commonwealth Games, before announcing Tupou Neiufi as our Flag Bearer for Thursday’s Opening Ceremony here.“
The first New Zealand Para swimmers competing on day 1 (Thursday 9 August) will be:
- Hamish McLean – Men’s 400m Freestyle
- Celyn Edwards – Men’s 100m Breaststroke
- Jesse Reynolds – Men’s 100m Breaststroke
Event timeline including race timings can be found here on this link
The NZ Para Swimming Team will compete in the following events:
Day 1 (Thurs 9 Aug):
o Men’s 400m Freestyle: Hamish McLean
o Men’s 100m Breaststroke: Celyn Edwards, Jesse Reynolds
Day 2 (Fri 10 Aug):
o Women’s and Men’s 100m free: Amanda Lowry, Sophie Pascoe, Hamish McLean, Chris Arbuthnott
o Men’s 34pt 400m Medley Relay: Jesse Reynolds, Celyn Edwards, Chris Arbuthnott, Hamish McLean
· Day 3 (Sat 11 Aug):
o Women’s 50m Backstroke: Amanda Lowry
o Women’s and Men’s 200m Individual Medley: Sophie Pascoe, Celyn Edwards, Hamish McLean, Jesse Reynolds, Chris Arbuthnott
Day 4 (Sun 12 Aug):
o Women’s and Men’s 100m Backstroke: Tupou Neiufi, Sophie Pascoe, Bryall MacPherson, Celyn Edwards, Jesse Reynolds, Chris Arbuthnott
o Men’s 34pt 400m Freestyle Relay: TBD
Day 5 (Mon 13 Aug):
o Women’s 50m Freestyle: Sophie Pascoe
o Women’s and Men’s 100m Butterfly: Sophie Pascoe, Bryall MacPherson, Celyn Edwards, Jesse Reynolds, Chris Arbuthnott
o Men’s 150m Individual Medley: Cameron Leslie
Daily live streaming will be available at:
https://www.swimming.org.au/live-streaming/live-streaming-(1).aspx AND
Daily updates and reports will be available at:
Facebook – @ParalympicsNewZealand
Twitter – @NZParalympics
Instagram – @ParalympicsNZ
Hashtags – #ParaPanPacs2018, #Paraswimming, #spiritofgold
The New Zealand Para Swimming Team includes:
|
Name |
Classification |
Impairment/Disability |
Club |
Resides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sophie Pascoe – bio |
S10/SB9/SM10 |
Limb deficiency (Amputee – left below knee) |
QE11 |
Christchurch |
|
Celyn Edwards |
S8/SB8/SM8 |
Limb deficiency (Amputee – left upper arm) |
Selwyn |
Christchurch |
|
Jesse Reynolds – bio |
S9/SB8/SM9 |
Limb deficiency (Proximal Focal Femoral Deficiency PFFD) |
Fairfield |
Auckland |
|
Christopher Arbuthnott |
S9/SB9/SM9 |
Limb deficiency (Congenital – right below elbow) |
Ice Breakers |
Auckland |
|
Tupou Neiufi – bio |
S9/SB8/SM9 |
Hypertonia/Left side hemiplegia |
Howick Pakuranga |
Auckland |
|
Bryall McPherson |
S8/SB8/SM8 |
Limb deficiency (Amputee – right through shoulder) |
North Shore |
Auckland |
|
Cameron Leslie – bio |
S5/SB3/SM4 |
Limb deficiency (Congenital all 4 limbs) |
Whangarei |
Whangarei |
|
Hamish McLean – bio |
S6/SB6/SM6 |
Short stature (Achondroplasia) |
Wanaka |
Christchurch |
|
Amanda Lowry |
S3/SB2/SM3 |
Loss muscle power (Tetraplegia) |
Otumoetai |
Tauranga |
For further information on the Team, see the selection announcement release here on this link.
