Absolute Insurance World Championship Swim Trials – Day 3 Wrap
It was a case of brotherly love when the Kent clan made it a quinella on the third night of the Absolute Insurance world championship trials in Auckland tonight.
Commonwealth Games silver medalist Dean Kent took out the title with his younger brother Steven finishing second at the West Wave Aquatic Centre, Waitakere City.
It proved a night of nearly but not quite for world championship contenders with Melissa Ingram, Corney Swanepoel and Kent all within a touch of securing a qualifying time for Melbourne.
There is likely to be another relay team qualify for Melbourne in the women’s 4x100m individual medley, if the selectors consider the best time of the ill Lauren Boyle who was forced out of the trials. If they take her times into consideration it would mean all three women's relays will qualify for Melbourne.
Ten was the number for Atlanta Olympian Alison Fitch who won her 10th women’s 100m freestyle title in a fierce duel.
And it could not have been closer in the final of one of the blue riband events with new national record holder Mark Herring dead-heating with 16-year-old Orinoco Faamausili-Banse (Laser Mt Eden) in the 50m freestyle.
Dean Kent, who has had a shortened taper for this meet after three months training on the Gold Coast, went out strongly in the 200m individual medley.
A second qualifying time for the world championships looked within his grasp until the final 20 metres, finishing a second away from the Melbourne mark, with brother Steven, who swims for the Hutt Valley club Swim City, pushing home for second.
Swanepoel went within a whisker of qualifying for the world championships when he topped qualifiers in the semifinal of the 50m butterfly.
The New Zealand record holder set a season best 24.16s which is 1/10th of a second outside the mark, with one more chance to earn a trip to Melbourne in tomorrow’s final.
His North Shore teammate Ingram was also just outside the qualifying mark in winning the 200m backstroke ahead of clubmate and Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Hannah McLean. Ingram, the former world short course backstroke medalist, clocked a slick 2:13.97, only 3/10ths of a second outside the qualifying mark.
Sixteen-year-old Kurt Bassett showed his undoubted promise to win his first New Zealand Open title in the 200m backstroke, setting a new national age group record on the way. The New Zealand representative at the world youth championships, Bassett (Laser Mt Eden) went clear over the first half of the race and held off fellow international John Zulch (North Shore).
“I went out really hard and just tried to hold on for all I could. I am absolutely rapt. I’ve really trained hard for this,” Bassett said.
North Shore’s Helen Norfolk took out the 400m freestyle title in style while clubmate Glen Snyders continued his impressive form to win the 50m breaststroke from Oliver Young.
“I’m pleased to win and I was quite happy with my form. But my aim is to qualify for the world championships as an individual,” said Snyders who has his favoured 100m final to come.
Former Canterbury swimmer Megan Allan (North Shore) claimed her second women’s 200m butterfly title, just holding off a strong finish from Wellington’s Chantelle Cowrick (Capital) by 8/100ths of a second, clocking a useful 2:20.70.
North Shore’s Robert Voss defended his national title with an impressive performance in the 400m freestyle, clocking 3:58.10 to finish ahead of 200m freestyle winner Michael Jack (West Auckland).
“I was aiming at a world championships qualifying time which I felt I had in me but I didn’t go hard enough through the first half,” Voss said.
