World, Olympic Champion to swim at New Zealand Zonal Championships

Four Australian swimmers, led by multi Olympic and World Champion Emily Seebohm, will compete in the New Zealand Zonal Championships in Auckland next month.

The Zonal Championships involve 160 swimmers from four zones around the country in relay and team formats over two non-stop two-hour sessions.  The fourth Zonal Championships, supported by the Brian Perry Charitable Trust, will be staged on Saturday 11 February at the Sir Owen G Glenn National Aquatic Centre at AUT Millennium.

Seebohm will be joined by fellow Australians Minna Atherton, Nicholas Brown and Grayson Bell with one visitor drafted into each of the four teams.

Seebohm has been drafted into the Aquaknights (Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Hawkes Bay, Poverty Bay), who enjoyed the first pick after finishing bottom in the 2016 competition.

Last year’s third placed team, All Stars (from Wellington and Manawatu) have picked Brown; the Makos (Nelson-Marlborough, Canterbury-West Coast, Otago, Southland) opted for Atherton with Bell joining last year’s winners Harlequins (Northland, Auckland, Counties Manukau).

“Swimming New Zealand has been in discussions with Australian Swimming for some time about the prospect and we believe this will add some glamour to a fun and exciting meet, as well as the chance to see one of swimming’s global superstars in Emily Seebohm,” said Swimming New Zealand Events and Membership Manager, Kent Stead.

Seebohm is a double Olympic gold medallist to go with four world championship titles and five Commonwealth Games gold medals. In all she has amassed 34 medals at Olympic and Commonwealth Games and world championships. The 24 year old is also a former backstroke and medley world record holder and still holds six Australian national records.

Atherton, 16, is a triple World Junior champion in the 100m and 200m backstroke; Brown, 19, and the son of former Australian Olympian Ian Brown, is a triple Youth Olympic Games medallist and Bell, 19, won two medals at the Youth Olympics.

The zone team, each comprising 40 swimmers split into junior and senior teams, will be named later this month.