Wiegersma follows swim victory with another final
New Zealand’s newest world champion, Natalie Wiegersma does not believe in resting on her laurels.
A few hours after winning the 100m backstroke title (pictured) at the Fina World Youth Championships in Brazil, the 16-year-old from Southland was back in the pool.
Wiegersma followed her victory in the morning session with another outstanding swim in the evening session of heats, qualifying fifth fastest for the final of the 200m individual medley in Rio de Janeiro today.
She set a personal best 2:19.09 in the heat, just 6/100ths of a second outside another New Zealand record for the outstanding teenager.
Wiegersma set the championship alight for the New Zealand team when she produced a stunning 1:02.41 to win the gold medal in the 100m backstroke in the morning session.
It was nearly a full second under the previous New Zealand age group mark set by Lydia Lipscombe in 1996 and is the fastest time ever recorded by any New Zealander in an age group event.
Her time would have won the New Zealand Open final last year and is inside the current guidelines for qualification for next year’s world open championships in Melbourne if she was to repeat the performance in the December trials.
There was more good news for the small New Zealand contingent at the inaugural world youth championships today.
Auckland’s Kurt Bassett qualified for the semifinals of the men’s 50m backstroke with the 14th fastest time of 27.56 in the heats, just outside his best.
There were a number of bests today with Orinoco Faamausili-Banse-Prince (Mt Eden), who qualified for the final of the 50m freestyle in the morning, setting a new personal best of 26.64 in the 50m butterfly heats.
Raumati’s Shane Patience cut a remarkable 14 seconds off his previous best, clocking 8:18.65 to finish second in the fourth of five time heats in the 800m freestyle, with the fastest heat scheduled for tomorrow’s finals session.
Rotorua’s Kane Radford was eighth in the same heat in 8:34.06.
Tauranga’s Penelope Marshall was ninth fastest in the heat of the 200m backstroke, missing by one place for a spot in the final, with Emily Thomas (Gisborne) 11th fastest in the same event.
The championships finish on Monday (NZ time).
Day 3 event heats:
50m backstroke: Kurt Bassett 27.56, 14th (qualify for semifinal)
50m butterfly: Orinoco Faamausili -Banse-Prince 26.64, 20.
200m backstroke: Penelope Marshall 2:19.15, 9; Emily Thomas 2:19.39, 11.
200m individual medley: Natalie Wiegersma 2:19.09, 5th (qualify for final)
800m freestyle: Shane Patience 8:18.65, 2; Kane Radford 8:34.06, 8.
For further information:
Ian Hepenstall, Sports Media NZ, Tel 0275 613181, E: ianhep@xtra.co.nz
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