Virtus OA Games: NZ delegation wows on Day 2 with 5 silver and 6 bronze medals
- The New Zealand delegation has had a great Day 2 in the Virtus Oceania Asia Games.
- The New Zealanders achieved 5 silver and 6 bronze medals in an action-packed day of swimming and athletics.
- Virtus is the International Federation for athletes with intellectual impairment. The Virtus Oceania Asia Games 2022 (OA Games 2022) is an international multi-sport event in the Oceania Asia region for elite athletes with an intellectual impairment. It is being held 5-11 November 2022 in Brisbane.
The New Zealand delegation is thrilled with a fantastic first day of swimming and athletics competitions at the Virtus Oceania Asia Games.
Swimmer Lance Dustow (S19) who won 3 silver medals and a bronze described representing New Zealand:
“It’s amazing! It’s the best thing I could ever be a part of, left me in tears standing up there.”
Swimming New Zealand’s Disability and Para Swimming Participation Manager, Cameron Leslie, is with the team in Brisbane. He says there were tonnes of proud moments for New Zealand throughout Tuesday. One that stood out for him was the NZ Men’s II1 relay team, Cuda Tawhai-Hamilton, Jack Bugler, Denver Xavier and Asher Smith-Franklin winning bronze.
“I loved seeing Cuda, Jack, Denver and Asher winning bronze in the 4x50m freestyle relay. The team set a NZ record in the process, but more importantly supported each other and overcame the challenge.”
Competition continues through the week (schedule link) with more swimming results expected later today.
New Zealand delegation results at Virtus Oceania Games 2022 Day 1
| Para sport | Athlete | Sports class | Event | Result | Placing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | Joshua Lush | T20 | 100m II2 | 11.62 | Silver |
| Swimming | Asher Smith-Franklin | S14 | 200m butterfly II2 | 02:27.7 | Bronze |
| Swimming | Lance Dustow | S19 | 400m Freestyle II3 | 05:08.3 | Silver |
| Swimming | Tate Pichon | S19 | 400m Freestyle II3 | 05:25.5 | Bronze |
| Swimming | Cuda Tawhai-Hamilton, Jack Bugler, Denver Xavier, Asher Smith-Franklin | S14 | 4x50 freestyle relay II1 | 01:57.6 | Bronze |
| Swimming | Denver Xavier | S14 | 50m backstroke II1 | 38.57 | 10th |
| Swimming | Lance Dustow | S19 | 50m backstroke II3 | 34.39 | Silver |
| Swimming | Finn Russ | S19 | 50m backstroke II3 | 34.77 | Bronze |
| Swimming | Tate Pichon | S19 | 50m backstroke II3 | 40.47 | 7th |
| Swimming | Bailey Conlon | S14 | 100m freestyle II1 | 01:02.3 | 8th |
| Swimming | Luka Willems | S18 | 100m freestyle II2 | 01:27.1 | Bronze |
| Swimming | Finn Russ | S19 | 100m freestyle II3 | 01:01.8 | Silver |
| Swimming | Lance Dustow | S19 | 100m freestyle II3 | 01:05.8 | Bronze |
| Swimming | Tate Pichon | S19 | 100m freestyle II3 | 01:08.7 | 5th |
| Swimming | David Beck | S14 | 100m backstroke II1 | 01:14.6 | 14th |
| Swimming | Denver Xavier | S14 | 100m backstroke II1 | 01:19.1 | 17th |
| Swimming | Lance Dustow | S19 | 100m backstroke II3 | 01:15.9 | Silver |
| Swimming | Tate Pichon | S19 | 100m backstroke II3 | 01:30.5 | 6th |
For details of the full delegation see our team announcement.
Check out Day 3 results here.
