About us

A big young New Zealander with a big name has made big waves across the Tasman in the second round of the Trans Tasman Cup swim series.

Orinoco Faamausili-Banse (pictured), 16, from Auckland has broken the New Zealand Open record twice for the 50m freestyle to spark the Kiwi age group team to a win in today’s session of the second test at Woy Woy on the central New South Wales coast.

It is the first time since the Trans Tasman Cup was reinstituted that a New Zealand team has won a session and they head to the final meet at Canberra trailing leaders Australian Green by just nine points with Australia Gold only two points ahead.

Faamausili-Banse led the way by winning the 50m skins final where clocked a brilliant 22.53s, to go under the record he set in the preliminaries of 22.60. Both were under Brad Herring’s seven-year old mark of 22.67 and underlines the enormous potential of the Laser Mt Eden club swimmer ahead of next year’s Beijing Olympics. His record would have placed him in the top 25 at last year’s Fina world championships.

New Zealand swimmers won 12 finals and established a further six new national age group records.

As well as Faamausili-Banse’s efforts, Cara Baker, 17, (Kiwi West, Palmerston North) broke another record, taking five second’s off Lauren Boyle’s mark for the 400m freestyle in 4:10.72. She also set a new time for the 200m freestyle in 2:02.26.

Cameron Burrows 16, (Howick Pakuranga) clocked 1:51.53 to take a second off the old mark in the 200m freestyle, while Gareth Kean, 15 (Capital) set a new record for 200m backstroke of 2:01.27.

The Kiwi winners in the first session were Baker in the 400m freestyle, Daniel Bell, 17 (West Auckland Aquatics) in the 100m backstroke in 56.18, Starn Simpson, 16 (West Auckland Aquatics) in the 100m breaststroke in 1:04.46, Emily Thomas, 16 (Comet, Gisborne) in the 100m butterfly in 1:02.91 and the men’s 200m freestyle relay.

The second session winners were Faamausili-Banse in the 100m freestyle with a time of 51.19 and his 50m freestyle skins victory, Abby Shaw, 17 (Aquagym, Christchurch) clocking 2:17.29 in the 200m butterfly, Bell in the 100m butterfly in 55.24, Burrows in the 400m individual medley clocking 4:27.93. The men’s 200m medley relay team won with the other skins wins going to Bell and Thomas, both in the 50m butterfly.

“We are absolutely stoked with the performances this week and particularly today,” said Simon Mayne, a team coach.

“The swimmers really stood up today. This is the closest competition that anyone can remember in this Trans Tasman cup series and it is producing some outstanding swimming.”

The team face a long drive to Canberra for the final meet at the Institute of Sport on Friday evening and Saturday morning.

Full results: www.swimmingnz.org.nz

For further information:

Ian Hepenstall, Sports Media NZ, Tel 0275 613181, E: ianhep@xtra.co.nz