Clareburt delivers gold medal performance

Lewis Clareburt has been knocking on the door of a really big performance at a major swim meeting for four years.

Now he’s not only opened the door but he’s rushed inside.

Clareburt was the toast of the New Zealand swim camp after he won the 400m individual medley gold medal in stunning fashion. His time of 4min 08.70s knocked the best part of three seconds off the Games record and he finished well clear of silver medallist Brendon Smith of Australia, who recorded 4min 10.15s.

Since Clareburt announced himself at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games by winning a bronze medal when few outside swimming had heard of him, he has threatened but never quite managed to deliver.

Last year at the Tokyo Olympics he was second fastest qualifier in the 400m individual medley but disappointed himself by managing just seventh in the final.

At the recent world champs in Hungary, Clareburt, trying to shake off the lingering effects of Covid, finished fourth in his specialty event.

Now he’s gone and won the gold.

Ironically, he made his move on the third leg, the breaststroke, which until recently has been his weakest stroke.

“It’s weird thinking how far it’s come. I’ve been working on it so much and it’s never really moved until the last few weeks.”

Clareburt looked particularly relaxed before his final. He said he was buoyed when Cameron Gray won a surprise bronze in the 50m butterfly. “I knew I had a really good swim in me, and I just hoped it would come at the right time.”

Clareburt has been coached in Wellington by Gary Hollywood since 2016. Hollywood is from Birmingham and told him to treat this as a “home” Commonwealth Games. Clareburt certainly looked at home in the pool.

Gray surprised even himself with his 50m butterfly bronze medal, especially as he only qualified seventh.

Gray, 18, raced down the pool in 23.27s, which earned him the bronze ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s Dylan Carter by 0.01s. The gold medal went to Benjamin Pound of England, who won in 22.81s.

“It seems pretty unreal,” said Gray afterwards. “My attitude was that the opportunity to swim in the evening final was reward for my effort in the afternoon heats. I didn’t expect a spot on the podium.”

Gray said that swimming can sometimes be a lonely sport and he loved to see the work pay off.

There was nearly another medal for New Zealand soon after Clareburt. Backstroker Andrew Jeffcoat, who was the third fastest qualifier in the 100m, was barely edged out of the medals.

Jeffcoat swam 54.13s, just behind bronze medallist Bradley Woodward of Australia, who finished in 54.06s.

Hazel Ouwehand finished 15th of the 16 women’s 100 backstroke semi-finalists.