Kavanagh College’s Erika Fairweather named Sky Sports Emerging talent
Erika Fairweather, Dunedin-born New Zealand olympic swimmer, has been named Sky Sports Emerging talent at the Halberg Awards. Erika attended Kavanagh College and in 2021 was head girl.
Kavanagh College’s founding religious orders - the Christian Brothers, the Dominican Sisters and the Sisters of Mercy - were the original founders of the various schools that are part of Kavanagh College’s history.
St Dominic's College was a girls school established in 1871 by the Dominican Sisters who arrived in New Zealand with the first Catholic Bishop of Dunedin, Patrick Moran.
Christian Brothers’ School was founded by four Irish Christian Brothers in 1876 and its name changed to Christian Brothers’ High School in 1928. It was located on the site of the present day Kavanagh College and a new building was built in 1964 fronting onto Rattray Street. The school was renamed St Paul's High School. Primary level classes continued to operate on the Tennyson Street site as a separate school known as Christian Brothers’ Junior School.
@erika.fairweather shares her latest news on Instagram.
"Absolutely insane to be named Sky Sports Emerging talent at tonight’s Halberg awards. Super gutted I couldn’t be there in person but my video presence will have to do this year."
~ Erika Fairweather, Instagram 2022
Despite her young age, Erika has an impressive list of accomplishments.
In 2019 Erika was excited to be chosen for the New Zealand Olympic team travelling to Tokyo in 2020.
"Representing New Zealand and wearing the fern at the Olympic Games is a dream I've had for as long as I can remember, so words don't really do this feeling justice.”
Erika competed in the 2019 FINA World Championships as the youngest swimmer, aged 15, to make the top 20 for the 200m and 400m Freestyle events.
She won gold in the 200m Freestyle event at the 2019 World Junior Championships and was then selected to swim the 200 and 400m Freestyle events at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Erika finished second in her heat of the 400 metres freestyle, breaking the New Zealand record set by Lauren Boyle in 2012.
Seventeen-year-old Erika Fairweather is soaking up her first Olympics experience as Aotearoa New Zealand’s youngest athlete at the Games while medal hopeful Lewis Clareburt is giving those at home a glimpse of daily life.
