Tapper beats Olympian, world qualifying time
- Dave Worsley
- 19 hours ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 hours ago
Teen Milana Tapper stole the show with a powerful swim on the penultimate day of the 2025 New Zealand Swimming Championships in Auckland.
Competing in the women's 200m freestyle, 19-year-old Tapper started strong and stayed close to Olympian Erika Fairweather to eventually beat her at the wall as the pair both finished under the qualification time for the 2025 World Aquatics Championships.
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“It was actually a bit of a battle, I took it out harder than I normally would,” said Tapper post race.
“I knew I needed to go hard early and put my foot down, and then just hold on for that last hundred. I’m just so grateful for that result and I can’t believe I made the time.”
Fairweather finished first in 1:56.56s, with Tapper just behind in 1:57.95s to qualify for her first long course world event. Caitlin Deans placed third.
In the men’s 200m Freestyle teenager Kevin Zhang was a cut above, pacing his race well to touch the wall in 1:50.69s and win his first open national title. Louis Clark was second and James Leigh third.
In the multi class racing, three-time Paralympic champion Cameron Leslie (S4) produced a beautiful swim, to go more than 10-seconds under the World Para Swimming Championships qualification time in the 100m Freestyle.
Leslie powered across the pool, clocking a fast time of 1:26.03s to place second. Daniel Smith took the win in 55.65s in an S19 New Zealand record time, followed by Ian Chen (S19) in 59.84s for third.
The men’s 50m Breaststroke multi class final was another great race which saw two New Zealand records broken. Daniel Smith was on a mission, placing first in an SB19 national record time of 31.64s. Commonwealth Games champion Joshua Wilmer (SB8) placed second in 33.67s, while Asher Smith-Franklin set an SB14 national record in 32.48s for third place.
In the women’s 100m Freestyle multi class final Gaby Smith (S10) added another title to her name, touching the wall in 1:05.92s. Lili-Fox Mason (S10) placed second and Rylee Sayer (S7) third.
Charlotte Murphy (SB6) took the national title in the women’s 50m Breaststroke multi class final. The Aquagym swimmer powered home in 1:03.66s, ahead of Melissa Donoghue (SB18) who placed second in 1:11.50s.
In the open swimming Monique Wieruszowski made it a clean sweep in the Breaststroke, winning the 100m title to go alongside the 50m and 200m titles she won earlier in the meet. The 17-year-old was tested, with Zyleika Pratt-Smith hot on her tail, but Wieruszowski pulled ahead in the last 25m to claim the win in 1:09.68s - again swimming under the time required for the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships. Pratt-Smith placed second and Melissa Cowen third.
