Rotorua swimmer, Kane Radford, will attempt to win his third consecutive New Zealand Open Water Championship title in Taupo this weekend.
The 23-year-old has been training in Perth under his New Zealand-born coach, Mel Tantrum, who also trains the current Australian number 1, Rhys Maidstone.
Radford has been in good form leading into the championships, and this year there's the added incentive of the Oceania Open Water title which is also up for grabs.
Radford faces some tough competition for the national title, with Australians Ridge Grimsey and Josh Richardson, and Samoa's Brandon Schuster all vying for the win.
The Rotorua swimmer is also pushing hard to get in on the FINA 10km World Cup circuit, which he sees as crucial to his chances of making it to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, after he missed out in 2012.
