They will join Eve Thomas, Lewis Clareburt, Hazel Ouwehand, Cameron Gray, Taiko Torepe-Ormsby, and Laticia-Leigh Transom to compete on the world stage during the swimming competitions taking place from July 27 to August 4 at the Paris La Defense Arena, the largest indoor events venue in Europe.
The team will be led by world champions Lewis Clareburt (Waikato-Tainui) and Erika Fairweather (Ngāi Tahu).
Clareburt won the 400m individual medley at this year’s Swimming World Championships in Doha, while Fairweather picked up her title in the 400m freestyle, as well as winning silver in the 200m free and bronze in the 800m free.
Fairweather said she was keen to get to Paris.
"It’s always special getting to compete at this level. So much hard work goes on behind the scenes to prepare for the Olympics, and I can’t wait to showcase it."
For 200m backstroke athlete Kane Follows, the selection after swimming qualification times at the New Zealand Swimming Championships earlier this month is particularly sweet.
The 27-year-old has been on the cusp of making the national team for years and the Paris Olympics will be his international representative debut.
"This has been a grind. I’ve missed a lot of teams, but I’ve stuck at it. I’ve given so much to the sport, and it feels so good to get this result. Sport is a lot of ups and downs, but it’s all worth it for this feeling."
