Nikita Howarth
New Zealand para-cyclist and para-swimmer
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Nikita Stevie Howarth MNZM (born 24 December 1998) is a New Zealand para-cyclist and para-swimmer. She became New Zealand's youngest ever Paralympian after being selected for the 2012 Summer Paralympics, aged 13 years 8 months. She again represented New Zealand at the 2016 Summer Paralympics,[1] where she won the gold medal in the women's 200 metre individual medley SM7[2] and the bronze medal in the women's 50 metre butterfly S7.[3]
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Howarth in 2017 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Nikita Stevie Howarth |
| Born | 24 December 1998 Hamilton, New Zealand |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Classifications | S7, SB8, SM7 |
| Club | Te Awamutu Swim Club |
| Coach | Steve Hay |
Medal record | |
Biography
Howarth was born in Hamilton, and resides in nearby Cambridge. She has a congenital bilateral arm deficiency, with no right hand and her left arm ending below the elbow.[4] She attended Cambridge High School.[5]
Howarth started swimming at age "three or four" and started swimming competitively at age seven. At age eight, she was inspired to compete at the Paralympics and win a gold medal after 2004 Olympic cycling gold medallist Sarah Ulmer visited Howarth's school.[6] She is classified S7 for freestyle, backstroke and butterfly, SB8 for breaststroke, and SM7 for individual medley.[7]
Swimming
Howarth was selected to represent New Zealand at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. She competed in three events: the 50 m butterfly S7, the 100 m breaststroke SB8 and the 200 m individual medley SM7, qualifying for the finals in the latter event and finishing in sixth place. In 2013, Howarth won two medals at the IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal: a gold medal in the 200 m individual medley SM7 and a bronze medal in the 50 m butterfly S7.[4][8] She was selected to represent New Zealand at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Competing above her classifications, she came fifth (out of six) in the 100 m freestyle S8 and seventh (out of seven) in the 100 m breaststroke SB9.
At the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships in Glasgow, Howarth won two gold medals in the 50 m butterfly S7 and the 200 m individual medley SM7,[9] qualifying her for the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. She was officially confirmed to represent New Zealand at the Paralympics on 5 May 2016.[1]
While competing at the International German Championships in Berlin on 9 June 2016, Howarth set a new world record in the women's 100 m butterfly S7 with a time of 1:18.65, taking 1.49 seconds off the previous record set by American Mallory Weggemann in 2009.[10]
Howarth was a finalist for Disabled Sportsperson of the Year at the 2015 Halberg Awards.[11] She was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2017 New Year Honours, for her services to swimming.[12]
Cycling
Following the 2016 Paralympic Games, Howarth switched her focus from para-swimming to para-cycling, and competed at the 2018 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships under the C4 classification.[13]
In December 2018, she set a new world record in the C4 flying 200 m time trial event at the Southland Track Cycling Championships in Invercargill, New Zealand.[14]
Personal bests
Swimming
| Event | Time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 m freestyle (S7) | ||||
| 100 m freestyle (S7) | ||||
| 50 m backstroke (S7) | ||||
| 100 m backstroke (S7) | ||||
| 50 m breaststroke (SB8) | 43.79 | 1 September 2012 | London, England | AR |
| 100 m breaststroke (SB8) | 1:28.77 | 9 July 2015 | Glasgow, Scotland | AR |
| 50 m butterfly (S7) | ||||
| 100 m butterfly (S7) | 1:18.65 | 9 June 2016 | Berlin, Germany | WR |
| 200 m individual medley (SM7) |
Cycling
| Event | Time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flying 200 m time trial (C4) | 12.950 | 1 December 2018 | Invercargill, New Zealand | WR |
