Swim Rotorua members Leo English and Ariel Muchirahando represented New Zealand at the 2024 Hancock Prospecting Queensland Championships. Photo / Supplied
Swim Rotorua members Leo English and Ariel Muchirahando represented New Zealand at the 2024 Hancock Prospecting Queensland Championships. Photo / Supplied
Ariel Muchirahando won gold and broke records at the 2024 Queensland Championships.
Leo English reached finals in two events, setting personal bests and placing fifth in the 800m freestyle.
Both swimmers gained valuable experience, aiming for the NZ Age Group Nationals and World Junior Championships.
Rotorua swimmers enjoyed success in the pool at the recent Queensland champs.
Swim Rotorua members Ariel Muchirahondo, 15, and Leo English, 15, represented New Zealand at the 2024 Hancock Prospecting Queensland Championships.
Swim Rotorua head coach Aidan Withington was also selected as assistant coach on the Olympic Pathway for the New Zealand team.
On the first day of the competition, Muchirahondo claimed gold in his age group for 200m backstroke, breaking Corey Main’s NZ age group record by over a second.
Muchirahondo described this as a highlight of the championships, saying “for me, it set the standard for races to come”.
He continued to impress by qualifying for a final in all seven of his events, and coming out of these with four silver medals along with the initial gold.
On the final day, Muchirahondo equalled Max Polianski’s 200m individual medley NZ age record in the heat, before beating it by nearly half a second in the final that night.
Swim Rotorua's Ariel Muchirahando with two of his medals. Photo / Supplied
Muchirahondo also broke six age-group Bay of Plenty records and one open BOP record. Three of these he broke in heats, and then again in finals.
Muchirahondo thoroughly enjoyed “meeting and racing new people, and being in a high energy competition environment”.
Withington said Muchiranhondo especially “stood out as a leader within the Olympic pathway team,” and that his results “reflect not only his hard work and talent but also the supportive environment fostered by the Swim Rotorua coaching team”.
English qualified for the final of the 800m freestyle, placing fifth. He also made the 200m freestyle final, placing eighth. English set numerous new personal bests, and was pleased with his performance overall.
English “had a great time at the pool and with the NZ team” and he thought the competition gave him an important insight into the scope and calibre of international high-performance swimming.
English was proud of “my ability to change my habits based on the environment I was in to make sure I was ready to do my best”.
The Olympic Pathway team at the 2024 Hancock Prospecting Queensland Championships. Photo / Supplied
It was an extremely difficult competition, and Withington described a range of challenges, including “adjusting to changes in food, dealing with significantly hotter weather, and adapting to extended daylight hours, with the sun rising as early as 4am”. Withington said that “despite these obstacles, Ariel and Leo learned critical skills in self-care, recovery, and preparation, which will serve them well in future competitions”.
Withington said the event spanned seven days, featuring long, intense schedules. Heat sessions ran for about eight hours, with finals lasting an additional four hours each evening.
“The demanding nature of the event required both physical and mental endurance, making it a valuable developmental opportunity for all involved”.
The Olympic Pathway team at the 2024 Hancock Prospecting Queensland Championships. Photo / Supplied
The New Zealand team was made up of 17 swimmers from the Olympic and Paralympic pathways, and came home with three open medals, 20 age-group medals, one NZ open record and seven NZ age records.
This was both boys’ first experience competing at an international level, and according to Withington they “demonstrated their growth and competitive spirit, and achieved commendable results, marking a significant achievement for Swim Rotorua”.
The boys have turned their focus to NZ Age Group Nationals in April, both hoping to improve their personal bests and implement the skills they acquired at Queensland. They are also harbouring hopes of qualifying for the World Junior Championships in August.
“Swim Rotorua is extremely proud of their achievements and remains committed to supporting their continued development,” Withington said.
