New Zealand's Erika Fairweather celebrates winning the final of the women's 400m freestyle swimming event during the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha. Photo: AFP
Swimming New Zealand went through some very tough years and it has taken a while to make a splash on the international stage again.
There is optimism within the Olympic swim team as they prepare for Paris, with two members of the squad going into the meet as world champions.
Since Danyon Loader's double success at the 1996 Atlanta games, just four New Zealand swimmers have qualified for Olympic finals.
After the Rio 2016 Olympics, Gary Francis became part of the high performance set-up at Swimming New Zealand and realised that something had to change.
"We knew that we were on the precipice," Francis told RNZ. "High Performance Sport NZ, the government funding agency, were losing patience with swimming. Swimming had promised a lot and delivered nothing.
"Our athletes didn't want to swim in New Zealand and our swimming community didn't have much faith in their national body or the high performance programme."
Francis admitted it was a hard sell to change things - moving away from a centralised programme and putting the trust back in the coaches in the regions.
That success was evident in the fact a third of the New Zealand swim team in Paris came from the Neptune Swim Club in Dunedin under the guidance of coach Lars Humer.
Francis thought it would not be until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics they would start seeing results, so Erika Fairweather and Lewis Clareburt's success at this year's world championships was a pleasant surprise.
While the programme they have now is so different to what they had six years ago, Francis knows there is still more to do, starting with Paris.
"We have two world champions who want to be Olympic medalists and those who are just below that want to be on the podium at some level.
"Everyone going to the Olympics is going to be competitive in the evenings (finals), no one is going just to enjoy the experience of the morning swim (heats) and then spectate after that."
New Zealand's Lewis Clareburt celebrates after winning the final of the men's 400m individual medley swimming event during the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha. Photo: AFP
Fairweather became New Zealand's first ever swimming world champion when she took gold in the 400 freestyle in Doha in February.
The last year has gone well for the 20-year-old, providing her with faith in the plan they had heading to Paris.
"My performances have put me in a really good position globally and its given me a lot of self-confidence. We're really strategic in how we try and race races, every race has a purpose, and I've been really good at fulfilling that purpose each time I get in the pool."
Fairweather had come a long way from Tokyo, where as a 17-year-old she snuck into the 400 freestyle final. She was excited to be at another Olympics with a few more years of experience behind her.
"I was a massive underdog going in there, whereas now I've got a bit more status on the world stage. I love racing, so that's the best part for me - getting to a race in an arena, that hype. The crowds are going to be so loud, I can't wait."
Clareburt decided to shift from Wellington to Auckland late last year to improve his training set-up. The 24-year-old said his world championship 400m medley victory was a nice confidence boost.
"I know that I can swim fast when I need to. I'm in a good space, I'm happy and everything has just been going my way this year, so I just hope to keep that going.
Eve Thomas was the only other member of the nine-strong swim squad with Olympic experience.
The swimming programme runs from 27 July to 5 August.
Members of the New Zealand Olympic swim team 2024. Photo: RNZ
New Zealand swimmers at the Paris Olympics
Lewis Clareburt
Men's 200m Individual Medley
Men's 400m Individual Medley
Men's 200m Butterfly
Caitlin Deans
Women's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
Erika Fairweather
Women's 200m Freestyle
Women's 400m Freestyle
Women's 800m Freestyle
Women's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
Kane Follows
Men's 200m Backstroke
Cameron Gray
Men's 100m Freestyle
Hazel Ouwehand
Women's 100m Butterfly
Eve Thomas
Women's 400m Freestyle
Women's 800m Freestyle
Women's 1500m Freestyle
Women's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
Taiko Torepe-Ormsby
Men's 50m Freestyle
Laticia-Leigh Transom
Women's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay
