Taiko Torepe-Ormsby

EVENTS: Men’s 50m Freestyle 

New Zealand’s fastest ever swimmer over 50m, Taiko Torepe-Ormsby set a New Zealand record as he qualified for the Paris Olympic Games in the 50m Freestyle, becoming the first ever Kiwi to swim the distance in less than 22-seconds.

The Christchurch athlete has been swimming since age seven, following his older sisters into the sport. He is now based in the US where he swims for the University of Wisconsin.

Torepe-Ormsby has eight swimming sessions a week, along with three in the gym and two dry-land sessions, while also having to manage classwork and homework outside of those hours as he studies Consumer Behaviour and Marketplace Studies in a Bachelor of Science degree.