April 17, 2024
Big splash as Torepe-Ormsby makes Olympic squad
With four Māori included in the ten New Zealand swimmers who have qualified for the Paris Olympics, the sport is set to gain some new tangata whenua fans.
And that’s fine with Swimming New Zealand Olympic programme lead Gary Francis, who wants as many Maori as possible involved in the code.
The latest Maori to make the team is Taiko Torepe-Ormsby, who swam New Zealand’s fastest-ever 50-metre freestyle in 21-point-8-6 seconds im Hastings on Saturday.
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For someone with a reasonably slight build, compared to most of the other guys in the event – and also his tender age. He’s 19-20 years old in an event where its about power and strength. And most of these swimmers don’t start maturing until their late twenties.
The other Maori swimmers to qualify for Paris are Lewis Clareburt, Erika Fairweather, and veteran paralympian Cameron Leslie.