3rd April 2007
New Zealand’s weary world championship swimmers produced some impressive performances on the first night of heats at the Absolute Insurance Youth and Open Championships in Christchurch tonight.
Twelve of the world championship team, who flew in from Melbourne today, were in action on the opening night at the QE2 Aquatic Centre for the first test of the new format for next year’s Beijing Olympics. Olympic organisers have reversed the normal swimming format to run heats in the evening and semi-finals and finals in mornings to better fit with international television requirements.
Swimming New Zealand wants swimmers to have as much opportunity as possible to race under this format before Beijing. Breaststrokers Annabelle Carey (Aquagym, Christchurch) and Glenn Snyders (North Shore) went faster in heats of the 50m and 200m respectively tonight than they performed in Melbourne last week.
Carey, 18, set a new national age group record, one of three set in heats tonight. The others went to Cara Baker (Kiwi West, Manawatu) in the 16 years 800m freestyle and Mitchell Donaldson, 14, (Coast, Auckland)
The Men’s 4x200m freestyle quartet from Melbourne finished on top of qualifiers in the 200m freestyle heats led by Robert Voss (North Shore) followed by Andrew McMillan (Neptune, Dunedin), Moss Burmester (North Shore) and Michael Jack (West Auckland Aquatics) – all in the 1:52s.
Liz Coster (North Shore) also went faster than at the world championships, topping qualifiers in the 50m butterfly in 27.85, while German Janne Schaeffer edged world championship finalist Zoe Baker in heats of the 50m breaststroke, both clocking respectable times of 31.42 and 31.82 respectively.
Burmester edged clubmate Corney Swanepoel to top times in the 100m butterfly with a 53.95 while Melissa Ingram (North Shore) finished ahead of Coster in the 100m backstroke heats.
Melbourne finalist Dean Kent impressed with a 4:20.40 in the heats of the 400m medley, les than two seconds out from his national record. Baker pointed to her undoubted promise to also head qualifiers in the 400m individual medley ahead of another talented teenager Natalie Wiegersma (Southland).
The battle for backstroke honours, with champion Cameron Gibson now concentrating on freestyle, hotted up with John Gatfield (Swim City, Wgtn) edging Kurt Bassett (Laser Mt Eden, Auck) and John Zulch (North Shore) .
There are five finals in tomorrow’s first finals session.
For further information: Ian Hepenstall, Sports Media NZ, Tel 0275 613181, E: ianhep@xtra.co.nz
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