Eight swimmers confirmed for Commonwealth Youth Games

The New Zealand Olympic Committee has confirmed nominations of eight swimmers to compete in the fifth Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa.

The swimmers are Gabrielle Fa’amausili (Roskill, Auckland), Bobbi Gichard (Greendale, Hawkes Bay), Wilrich Coetzee (North Shore), Yeonsu Lee (North Shore), Annabelle Paterson (United, Auckland), Mario Koenigsperger (Howick Pakuranga), Eliot Lundon-Moore (Aquabladz New Plymouth) and Bayley Main (Howick Pakuranga).

The Commonwealth Youth Games will be held in Samoa from 5-12 September with the swimming to be held in the Tuana’imato Sports Facility in Apia.

Fa’amausili and Gichard were bronze medallists at last year’s Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China and have both qualified for the 2015 FINA World Junior Championships.

Gichard has a busy international season ahead of her as she has also qualified for the FINA World Championships in August.

Coetzee, Lee and Paterson also all qualified for the FINA World Junior Championships at the recent New Zealand Age Group Championships.

Eighteen year old Main is currently on scholarship at Florida University following in the path of elder brother and Commonwealth Games swimmer Corey.

Koenigsperger and Lundon-Moore both made the podium multiple times at the age group championships.