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The proven stars showed their class on the opening day of the Absolute Insurance New Zealand world championship swim trials in Auckland today.

Commonwealth Games medalists Moss Burmester, Hannah McLean and Dean Kent stood out in the morning heats at the West Wave Aquatic Centre at Waitakere City.

Burmester topped qualifiers in the 200m freestyle clocking a comfortable 1:53.00, needing to slice a further 3.5s off that time in tonight’s final to qualify for the world championships.

The Commonwealth Games gold medalist in the butterfly is hoping to also qualify in freestyle for Melbourne, and qualified ahead of fellow New Zealand representatives Michael Jack (West Auckland Aquatics) and Robert Voss (North Shore).

He was also fastest in his Commonwealth Games bronze medal event, the 100m butterfly, clocking 55.54s, ahead of North Shore clubmate Corney Swanepoel.

A lean-looking Dean Kent, back from 10 weeks training on the Gold Coast, was in a class of his own to top times in the 400m individual medley

Hannah McLean indicated that she is focused and in form by topping qualifiers in her specialist 100m backstroke, where she is the Commonwealth Games record-holder, and also the 50m butterfly. She headed clubmates Liz Coster and Emma Banks in the 50m butterfly heats.

And she impressed with a superb 1:02.98 in the 100m backstroke, more than two seconds ahead of her nearest rivals and only 4/10ths outside the world qualifying mark.

Former world record-holder Zoe Baker impressed with a slick 31.70s to easily top qualifiers in the 50m breaststroke heats, which was only 1/10^th of a second outside the qualifying mark for the world championships.

Others to top qualifiers included 16-year-old world youth champion Cara Baker (Kiwi West, Manawatu) in the 400m individual medley and 800m freestyle, England-based Cameron Gibson (North Shore) in the 100m backstroke and Glenn Snyders (North Shore) in the 200m breaststroke.