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
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
www.facebook.com/DolphinsAus/
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 – bio
|
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 – bio
|
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 – bio
|
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 – bio
|
S3/SB2/SM3
|
Loss muscle power (Tetraplegia)
|
Otumoetai
|
Tauranga
|
For further information on the Team, see the selection announcement release here.