A Kerikeri girl has just secured a sought-after place in a national junior swim squad.
Eight-year-old Kaia Derbyshire won her age group at the Bay of Islands Classic swim held in Russell last Saturday. The event was the first of six qualifying events in the seven-swim Banana Boat New Zealand Ocean Swim Series.
Her win in the 200m OceanKids event has secured her a place in the Jetstar Super Swim Squad. This means she will travel to Auckland with a caregiver for a weekend camp in April, where she will be taught by an elite coaching team made up of top New Zealand swimmers in both a pool and ocean environment.
Throughout the season, each qualifying event will allow children the opportunity to earn a place in the 36-member squad.
Having competed in two NZ Ocean Swim Series events previously, Kaia was thrilled to win her age group and qualify for a place in the squad.
She prepared for her swim by training five days a week which consisted of ocean swimming practice to get ready for the open water conditions, and she even trained in the pool wearing her wetsuit.
Kaia was cheered on by her family as she crossed the finish line, and was also joined at the event by her mum, Trudy, who won her age group in the 500m "Give it a Go" swim.