2024 WORLD AQUATIC CHAMPIONSHIPS
- February 11th – February 18th
- Doha, Qatar
- LCM (50m)
- Meet Central
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- Official Entries
- Live Results (Omega)
Day one of the 2024 World Championships in Doha, Qatar saw a history-making swim at the hands of 20-year-old Erika Fairweather of New Zealand.
Racing in the final of the women’s 400m free, Fairweather turned in a time of 3:59.44 to become her nation’s first-ever world champion in the event.
Fairweather led the field tonight wire-to-wire, with China’s Li Bingjie settling for silver in 4:01.62 while Germany’s Isabel Gose rounded out the podium in 4:02.39.
Fairweather’s 3:59.44 outing sliced .15 off of her own Kiwi national record of 3:59.59, the time she posted for bronze at last year’s World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. That performance marked Fairweather’s first-ever outing under the 4:00 barrier, becoming just the 5th woman in history to do so.
With her slightly quicker performance tonight, Fairweather remains the 5th-fastest women’s 400m free performer in history.
All-Time Top Performers, Women’s 400 Free:
- Ariarne Titmus (AUS) — 3:55.38
- Summer McIntosh (CAN) — 3:56.08
- Katie Ledecky (USA) — 3:56.46
- Federica Pellegrini (ITA) — 3:59.15
- Erika Fairweather (NZL) — 3:59.44
| Fairweather’s New Record – 3:59.44 | Fairweather’s Old Record – 3:59.59 |
| 27.70 | 27.70 |
| 29.84 | 29.83 |
| 30.36 | 30.29 |
| 30.51 | 30.39 |
| 30.42 | 30.65 |
| 30.49 | 30.93 |
| 30.54 | 30.71 |
| 29.58 | 29.09 |
Of note, Fairweather’s teammate Eve Thomas was also in the final, posting a result of 4:05.87 to place 7th. Her time represented a new personal best, surpassing the 4:06.10 registered at the Australian National Championships in April of 2023.
Thomas graduated from St. Peter’s in Australia in 2018 and continues to train under storied coach Dean Boxall alongside the likes of 400m free world record holder Ariarne Titmus.
Thomas continues to make strides in this event in her quest to join Fairweather in the upper echelon. She placed 6th at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in 4:09.73 but dropped that down to 4:08.41 at the 2023 NSW State Championships before entering new territory with the aforementioned 4:06.10.
Thomas’ 4:05.87 is a tremendous effort with the Olympic Games on the horizon.
All-Time World Championships Medalists from New Zealand
- Gary Hurring – men’s 200m back silver, 1978
- Anthony Mosse – men’s 200m fly, 1986
- Danyon Loader – men’s 200m free bronze, 1994; men’s 400m free bronze, 1994; men’s 200m fly silver, 1994
- Lauren Boyle – women’s 400m free bronze, 2013, women’s 800m free bronze, 2013; women’s 800m free silver, 2015; women’s 1500m free bronze, 2013; women’s 1500m free silver 2015
- Lewis Clareburt – men’s 400m IM bronze, 2019
- Erika Fairweather – women’s 400m free bronze, 2023; women’s 400m free gold, 2024
National/Continental Records Through Day 1:
- New Zealand
- Women’s 400m free – Erika Fairweather, 3:59.44
Medal Table (Oceania) Through Day 1:
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | New Zealand | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Australia | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |