Ouwehand is now the only Kiwi to swim under 26 seconds in the 50m butterfly and was the sole Aquablack to do personal bests in both heats and finals at trials. I also re-broke my New Zealand record, which I have now broken three times in the last month. I could not be more thrilled with my swim and proud of myself and the work that both David and myself have put in this last year. “Obviously I was thrilled that I’d qualified. “I was 95 per cent certain I was going to get that time, “Ouwehand says on reaching the qualification mark at trials. She went a third of a second quicker.Īll smiles at trials. But she knew she had to do it again at trials just weeks later. She then swam under the Paris mark in the 100m butterfly for another record.

The previous month at the Auckland swimming championships she had already broken New Zealand records in both the heats and final of the 50m butterfly. Ouwehand, 24, seems to have peaked at the right time. However, that time was not fast enough to meet the standard Swimming New Zealand set for the world championships held in Doha in February, even though it would have placed Ouwehand seventh had she done it there.

Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in New Zealand record time.Īt Olympic trials in Hastings this month, Ouwehand also set a New Zealand record of 25.88 seconds in the non-Olympic 50m butterfly distance, in a time quicker than the winner at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior.

Rage swimmer