Solid performances from New Zealand swimmers
New Zealand swimmers produced another solid night of performances on the penultimate session of finals at the Pan Pacific Championships in Canada today.
Six swimmers contested finals along with two relay teams against some crack competition from USA, Japan, Canada and Australia, in particular.
Melissa Ingram was the only New Zealander in an A final, finishing seventh in the 200m backstroke although slightly slower than her excellent effort in the morning heats.
Hannah McLean was only 1/100th of a second slower than Ingram in finishing third in the B final over the same distance, while John Zulch (North Shore), in his first major international meet, was eight in the men’s B final.
Liz Coster was fifth in the B final of the 100m butterfly with her time of 1:01.46 better than the morning heats. Commonwealth Games gold medalist Moss Burmester was third in the B final of the men’s 100m butterfly, going under the 54-second barrier with Corney Swanepoel eighth in the same race.
The men’s combination of Swanepoel, Michael Jack, Robert Voss and Cameron Gibson were fifth in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay in a slick 3:22.34, just 8/10ths of a second outside the national representative record which has stood for 11 years.
The women’s quartet of Lauren Boyle, Helen Norfolk, Alison Fitch and McLean were fifth in the women’s B final of the 4x100m freestyle relay with their time of 3:45.214 just 1.5secs outside the national record they set at the Commonwealth Games.
The full squad are in action on the final day of competition where the best chances lie with medley exponents Dean Kent and Helen Norfolk in the 200 IM along with the women’s medley relay.
Results, day 3 finals:
200m backstroke:
Women
A final: Melissa Ingram 2:13.64, 7
B final: Hannah McLean 2:13.65, 3.
Men
B final: John Zulch 2:06.12, 8.
100m butterfly:
Women’s B final: Liz Coster 1:01.46, 5.
Men’s B final: Moss Burmester 53.83, 3.
Corney Swanepoel 54.52, 8.
4x100m freestyle relay:
Men: New Zealand (Corney Swanepoel 51.17, Michael Jack 50.82, Robert Voss 50.26, Cameron Gibson 50.09) 3:22.34, 5th.
Women: New Zealand (Lauren Boyle 57.85, Helen Norfolk 56.34, Alison Fitch 55.99, McLean 55.66) 3:45.24, 5th.
