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Howick Pakuranga swimmer seals top week at national age champs

Outstanding Counties Manukau swimmer Jeffrey Arona-Tuifana’e sealed an outstanding week with a New Zealand record on the final night of the Mayfair Pools national age group championships that concluded in Wellington on Saturday 5 March.

The 16 year old from the Howick Pakuranga club broke the strong record of Commonwealth Games medallist Glenn Snyders in the 100m breaststroke.

The Trans-Tasman age group representative clocked 1:04.43 in the final to take nearly a second off the old mark.

The other national records went to Napier’s Naomi Smit, Christchurch’s Sophia Batchelor, Capital’s Cameron Jones and Howick Pakuranga’s Hayden Church.

Smit, from Havelock North Sundevils , went 26.52 in the final of the 50m freestyle for 14 year olds, which was 3/10^ths under the old record. Batchelor completed a stunning week of record breaking in the same event for 15 years, clocking 26.18s, half a second inside the previous record for the brilliant AquaGym club swimmer.

Earlier Church topped the boys’ 13 years final in the same event in 25.35 while Jones, from the Capital club, edged under the old mark in the 100m butterfly in 58.39s.

Hamilton’s Samuel Perry completed an excellent week with his fifth gold medal in the 15 years division, while it proved a great week for Christchurch swimming with the win by Matthew Hutchins in the penultimate race of the night bringing his Wharenui club equal on points with AquaGym.

For further information contact:

IAN HEPENSTALL
Media Liaison, Swimming NZ High Performance
Sports Media NZ Ltd
Tel +64 9 2327822
Mob +64 275613181
E: ian@sportsmedianz.com
Skype: kiwiheps