Dunedin Swimmer Erika Fairweather Wins in Doha

Erika Fairweather has won her maiden swimming world championship title with victory in the women’s 400m freestyle final in Doha. The 20-year-old from Dunedin is the first New Zealander to win a long course swimming world championship title, the Otago Daily Times.

The swimmer also took home a gold in the 800m freestyle and silver in the 200m.

The victory puts Fairweather in top form ahead of the Paris Olympics where rivals Ariarne Titmus, Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh will all be competing after skipping the worlds, the ODT reports.

New Zealand’s previous best at a world championships was silver, claimed twice by Lauren Boyle in 2015 (800m freestyle and 1500m freestyle), Danyon Loader at the Rome event in 1994 (200m butterfly) and Gary Hurring (200m backstroke) in Berlin 1978.

Original article by Otago Daily Times, February 12, 2024.