World Swim Championships – NZ Wrap Day 4 Finals
Moss Burmester finished a fingernail away from a medal in an astonishing swim at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Melbourne tonight.
Burmester smashed his New Zealand record to finish fourth in the final of the 200m butterfly, only 13/100th of a second away from the bronze medal.
The North Shore swimmer, who took half a second off his record in the semi-final, slashed it by a further second to become the first person to go under the 1min 56sec barrier. He did not just go under the barrier – he annihilated it to clock 1:55.35 and lower not only his national mark but the Commonwealth record also.
His North Shore team-mate Dean Kent became the second Kiwi to qualify for a final, grabbing the eighth place in the 200m individual medley.
Burmester, the 25-year-old Commonwealth Games gold medalist managed to keep his head amid the most remarkable race of a remarkable world championship so far, with American Michael Phelps blowing his own world record away by a boggling 1.8 seconds. As Phelps torched would-be chasers into submission, Burmester came from sixth at the 100m turn with his final lunge almost accounting for Russia’s Nikolay Skvortsov for third place.
Burmester said his aim was the Commonwealth mark of 1:55.52, which was good enough for a silver medal at the Athens Olympics. “I am really happy with my time. I hit my splits just perfectly through the first 100m” Burmester said. “I knew I had to stick to my game plan. Last time at the worlds I raced off under world record pace over the first 50m and died. I was aware of the Pole and the Japan swimmer beside me and I caught them at the 150m mark and gave it absolutely everything I had.”
Burmester said he had no idea how close he was to a medal until he saw the times. "It was only then I was a bit frustrated because it was so close. But while Michael Phelps is out on his own, I now realise that I can be in the hunt for a medal at Beijing."
His coach Jan Cameron was thrilled with the performance. “What can I say. That was simply amazing. I am speechless,” head coach Jan Cameron said. “My fellow coach Thomas Ansorg and I have always believed that Moss had a mid-1:55 in him. Tonight he did his own thing, stuck to his own plan and has taken a huge step up in world performance.
“He has come a mighty long way in the last year since the heights of the Commonwealth Games a year ago. And now we have about 16 months until Beijing and I am sure Moss will be fired up by that prospect after this.”
Burmester would have become just the fifth New Zealander to ever win a medal at the world championships to join his idol Anthony Mosse, Gary Hurring, Danyon Loader and Trent Bray.
Kent, 28, produced a determined effort in the first semi-final to earn a place in tomorrow night’s final. He clocked 2:00.53, just outside the New Zealand record he set in the morning heat, but enough to take the final spot in the final. He was last after the butterfly, working his way to fourth after a superb backstroke and third after the breaststroke. Kent showed the benefit of his two month stint training with the British freestylers in Queensland last year, holding off the challenge to finish fourth. It proved enough for a deserved place in the final for the veteran.
Earlier in the night backstroker Hannah McLean did not advance in the 50m sprint, finishing seventh in her semi-final, clocking 29.22, just outside her New Zealand record. Not a renowned sprinter, McLean will be looking at the 200m backstroke, where she won the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Tomorrow’s action on day five of heats sees Lauren Boyle (West Auckland Aquatics) line up in the 100m freestyle, Annabelle Carey (Aquagym Christchurch) and Glenn Snyders (North Shore) in the 200m breaststroke and the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay.
Results
Semi-final 50m backstroke: Hannah McLean 29.22, 7th.
Semi-final 200m individual medley:
Semi-final 1: Ryan Lochte (USA) 1:58.48, 1; Laszio Cseh (HUN) 1:58.66, 2; Brian Johns (CAN) 2:00.25, 3; Dean Kent (NZL) 2:00.53, 4.
Semi-final 2: Michael Phelps (USA) 1:57.94, 1; Thiago Pereira (BRA) 1:58.65, 2; Tamas Kerekjarto (HUN) 1:59.51, 3; Vytautas (LTU) 2:00.05, 4.
For interviews contact: Mark Saunders, Team Manager, Tel 0061 437 078533
For further information: Ian Hepenstall, Sports Media NZ, Tel 0275 613181, E: ianhep@xtra.co.nz
