Otago swimming looks as though it has a budding star in Erika Fairweather.
The 12-year-old Neptune swimmer won seven gold medals and broke two New Zealand records at the Otago junior swimming championships at Moana Pool earlier this month.
Fairweather's records came in the girls 12-and-under 400 and 800m freestyle, as she joined Danyon Loader as Otago's only current freestyle national record holders. She swam an impressive 9:22.84 to take nine seconds off the 800m record, before breaking the 400m record in 4:36.76 a day later.
She also claimed a win in the 50m freestyle and showed her versatility by winning the 200m backstroke, 200m IM and 200m butterfly.
In the relay she made it a seventh gold, helping Neptune to a win in the mixed 4x200m freestyle, while also claiming silver in the mixed 4x200m medley relay.
The success comes just months after the Kavanagh College year 8 pupil broke three national records at the New Zealand Surf Life-saving pool championships in Auckland.
Arowa Wilson, of the Wharenui club in Christchurch, was another to impress at the swimming championships, claiming nine gold medals in the girls 10-and-under grade. Her haul was nearly matched by Taieri's Harry Summers, who claimed eight golds in the 10-and-under grade.
Meanwhile, Neptune's Max Kirkwood picked up six golds, a silver and three bronzes in the boys 12 grade. Kiwi's Madison Wills also took home six golds, alongside two silvers and a bronze in the girls 12 grade. Fairweather's younger sister, Jade, picked up golds in the 100m butterfly and 100m backstroke, while claiming silver in the 200m freestyle in the girls 11 grade.
-By Jeff Cheshire
