Whakatāne swimmer Chloe Gladwin returned from the 2025 Virtus Swimming Championships in Thailand with an impressive medal haul.

Attending an international event was a first for II3 swimmer Gladwin, but the location and pressure of an event on such a grand scale was no obstacle.

With more than 250 athletes from 31 different countries, the event has been touted as one which re-wrote history, with 63 world records broken, including three World Para Swimming records.  

After landing in Bangkok, she had only three days to acclimatise before her first event, a 400m final, and she scooped an impressive fourth place overall and a first for her age group.

“It was my first event, and it was a final, so I was a bit nervous, but it was my best 400 ever,” said Gladwin, 18, who was competing as a 17-year-old.

Gladwin was one of 12 New Zealand representatives competing.

The success in the 400m gave Chloe a confidence boost heading into the rest of the competition. Over the six days of racing, she made many friends, with swim caps exchanged with other competitors.

“I raced in a competition I had never seen, against people I had never raced before, and I loved the whole experience,” she said.

By the time the smoke cleared, Gladwin had amassed 12 medals, including two golds, and had set eight New Zealand records.

With each medal came a stuffed hippo, a bonus turned issue once she realised not all would fit in their suitcase, and  Gladwin gifted a few to other swimmers.

Gladwin’s mum, Jules Gladwin, who attended as a part of the support staff, managed to see only three of her daughter’s races, but was very proud.

“I was just too busy to watch them all. I manged three races and just parts of others,” she said.

Whakatāne Swimming Club coach Mason Pickering was proud of how the team performed.

“The team gelled brilliantly but it was a challenge. Chloe is very deliberate in what she does and just works out what she needs to do. She is still learning … so she is a long way from peaking.”

Once the event was over, an after party gave the team the chance to mingle and reflect on their experience over the past 10 days.

There weren’t too many opportunities to take in the sights, but the Gladwins did find time to visit a temple or two before heading home.

Heading back to New Zealand wasn’t without its challenges as Gladwin’s medal haul pushed their baggage over the required weight limit.

That, coupled with the hippos, necessitated an additional suitcase before the trip home.

No sooner had the Gladwins landed, the focus was on the NZ Short Course Swimming Championships in September.