| Nikita Howarth | |
| Fullname: | Nikita Stevie Howarth |
| Birth Date: | 1998 12, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Hamilton, New Zealand |
| Classification: | S7, SB8, SM7 |
| Club: | Te Awamutu Swim Club |
| Coach: | Steve Hay |
| Show-Medals: | yes |
Nikita Stevie Howarth (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, where she won the gold medal in the women's 200 metre individual medley SM7[1] and the bronze medal in the women's 50 metre butterfly S7.[2]
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. She attended Cambridge High School.[3]
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.[4] She is classified S7 for freestyle, backstroke and butterfly, SB8 for breaststroke, and SM7 for individual medley.[5]
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.[6] [7] 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,[8] 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.[9]
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]
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]
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 | ||
| 100 m breaststroke (SB8) | 1:28.77 | 9 July 2015 | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| 50 m butterfly (S7) | |||||
| 100 m butterfly (S7) | 1:18.65 | 9 June 2016 | Berlin, Germany | ||
| 200 m individual medley (SM7) |
Cycling