New Zealand’s swimmers have ended their Commonwealth Youth Games campaign on a high, adding a silver and a bronze to their medal tally in Trinidad and Tobago.
Competing in the 800m Freestyle Hannah Abdou held her nerve and executed her race plan to perfection to pick up silver.
The Christchurch swimmer clocked a time of 9:10.56s, to take second behind Australia’s Hannah Allen.
“During the race I felt relaxed and in control of my body and my mind and managed to stick to my race plan and even negative split which is amazing,” said Abdou.
“To see the hard work I put in through training translate into my results is one of the most rewarding feelings.
To have won a silver for New Zealand is such a huge honour. I'm so proud to be representing my country while doing the sport I love.”
Kevin Zhang then won bronze, despite starting in lane eight in the 200m Individual Medley.
Zhang qualified last for the final but stuck with the pack for the first three legs before sneaking ahead in the freestyle to claim bronze in 2:04.42s.
It was the final day of competition for the New Zealand swimming team which has won an impressive seven medals across the four days of competition.
“The Commonwealth Youth Games has been a great experience,” said Abdou.
“It’s given me a taste of what international racing is like and there are a lot of lessons and learnings I can take back to New Zealand.”
New Zealand Medals at Trinbago 2023:
- Silver – Amelia Bray, 50m Butterfly
- Silver - Danielle Asiata, 400m Individual Medley
- Silver - Hannah Abdou, 800m Freestyle
- Bronze - Caleb Carlisle, 50m Breaststroke
- Bronze - Hope Chimel, 200m Backstroke
- Bronze – Amelia Bray, 100m Butterfly
- Bronze – Kevin Zhang, 200m Individual Medley
Trinidad 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games
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