The New Zealand women’s team were outgunned today in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay final.
New Zealand – Erika Fairweather, Eve Thomas, Caitlin Deans and Laticia-Leigh Transom – recorded 7min 55.89s and finished 8th, which was their qualifying position.
In the final, Fairweather was timed at 1min 56.82s, Thomas at 1min 59.48s, Deans at 1min 59.79s and Transom, the only swimmer to go faster than in the heat, 1min 59.80s.
The power-packed Australian team won the gold medal with an Olympic record time of 7min 38.08s.
Transom said afterwards the team worked hard for a long time with the goal of making the final. “We were so pleased to accomplish that. Swimmng out there tonight in the final in front of that crowd was a bonus.”
Lewis Clareburt was below his best and was unable to make an impression in the men’s 200m individual medley semi-finals.
After qualifying with a heat time of 1min 58.84s, Clareburt finished 7th in his semi-final in 2min 00.06s, which placed him 14th overall.
Clareburt said it hadn’t been his best week in terms of performance or times, but that competing in Paris had been an “epic experience”, and something he would remember long after times have been forgotten.