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State Epic Swim & State Open Water Championships - Taupo 14-15 January 2012

State Epic Swim & State Open Water Championships - Taupo 14-15 January 2012
15th January 2012

15 January 2012 -  Radford, Baker claim 5km open water swim honours
 
Kiwi swimmers Kane Radford and Cara Baker confirmed their good form in taking out the 5km honours at the State New Zealand Open Water Championships in Taupo today.

The pair showed their strong recuperative powers after finishing runners-up in the 10km titles on Lake Taupo yesterday.

A select bunch formed at the front of the men’s race over the first 2.5km lap before talented Australian junior Josh Richardson and Radford pushed clear on the final lap to open up a 30 second advantage.

Radford (Rotorua HPC), the current Australian 5km champion, showed excellent speed to edge away from Richardson in the dash home to win in 59:30, only 10 metres clear.

Super talented Australian-based junior Michael Mincham (Waterhole, Auckland), coming in fresh for the 5km event, finished third overall.

Baker was in a class of her own in the women’s contest, clearing out to win in 1:03.27 to be in the top 10 on overall times.

It was the third straight national 5km title for the 21-year-old Baker, who lives on the Gold Coast.

She finished nearly three minutes clear of Taranaki’s Charlotte Webby who out-sprinted Australian Emily Seymour for second.

Baker and Radford completed an excellent weekend after earning places in the final Olympic open water qualifier in Portugal in June with their performances in the 10km race on Saturday.

Results:

5km men overall: Kane Radford (Rotorua, HPC) 59:30, 1; Josh Richardson (Australia) 59:34, 2; Michael Mincham (Waterhole, Auckland) 1:00.31, 3; Casey Glover (Capital, Wellington) 1:00.33, 4; Jonathon Pullon (Waterhole) 1:00.36, 5.

Women: Cara Baker (Howick Pakuranga, Counties Manukau) 1:03.27, 1; Charlotte Webby (Aquabladz, Taranaki) 1:06.01, 2; Emily Seymour (Australia) 1:06.11, 3; Shelby Wilson (Fairfield, Waikato) 1:12.17, 4; Grace Sommerville (Ashburton) 1:08.56, 5.

CAPTION: Kane Radford in action on his way to victory in the 5km open water swim at the State New Zealand Championships in Taupo today.

The image is free for editorial use only. Mandatory credit: Photosport.

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
14 January 2012 - Baker, Radford keep Olympic dreams alive in open water swim
 
While Cara Baker and Kane Radford had to play second fiddle to the Australians, their Olympic dreams remain alive after today’s State New Zealand Open Water 10km Championship in Taupo.
 
World champion Melissa Gorman and fellow Queenslander Trent Grimsey won the honours and the prize money in the 10km event on a cool and choppy Lake Taupo in the event that doubled as the qualifying swim for the London Olympics.
 
Baker and Taranaki’s Charlotte Webby were second and third respectively in the women’s race while Radford and Auckland’s Jonathan Pullon filled the podium in the men’s race. The quartet, as the leading two New Zealanders in each race, have qualified for June’s final Olympic qualifier in Portugal, where the top nine finishers will make it to London.
 
Radford (Rotorua), part of Swimming New Zealand’s high performance centre, found his sizeable early lead whittled away by Grimsey, who edged clear on the final lap to win in 1:59:50, with Radford three minutes back.
 
Grimsey, who missed out on Olympic qualifying for Australia, had set himself for today’s race in preparations for a crack at the record for the English Channel later in the year.
 
“I came here to win. The $5000 prize money was a big lure for sure and I targeted this result,” Grimsey said.
 
“I didn’t realise Kane had got so far ahead on the first lap until I got to the feed point, and I thought that I may not catch him but I managed to bridge up to Kane and went for it on the last lap.”

Radford said he had decided to push hard on the first lap, tactics he would not normally use, but overall was pleased with the outcome.
 
“I came here to progress my Olympic campaign. I would have liked to have won but I got the job done. That’s what I came here to do. I have four months until Portugal and I am looking forward to getting back into training.
 
“I think I am on track for London and I am now one step closer to that dream.”
 
While Grimsey and Radford cleared out from the field, Auckland’s Jonathan Pullon (Waterhole) produced a strong final lap to overtake Wellington’s Casey Glover and secure the second qualifying spot for Portugal.
 
Defending champion Phillip Ryan (Waterhole) withdrew on the second lap after a recurrence of his shoulder injury.
 
Baker made the early pace in the women’s race before she and Gorman cleared out, powering through the men’s field that had started three minutes ahead.
 
Gorman, a five-time Australian open water champion, bided her time before clearing out on the final lap to win 2:08:13 with Baker two minutes back and Webby third seven minutes behind the winner.
 
Gorman, who has already qualified for the Olympics, said the experience was ideal preparation for her bid for a medal in London.
 
“It is conditions we could expect in London so that was good. I only have one more 10km swim before the Olympics, so this was good racing practice and shows that my training is on track.
 
“I am still in big training load right now so the result was pleasing.”
Baker said her swim was encouraging as she works towards her goal of Olympic qualification.
 
“I felt really good. The conditions were really tough. It got colder and colder and so I struggled a little on the last lap with the temperature.
 
“The key was to qualify for Portugal and I did that strongly. I achieved my goal while still in big training so it gives me confidence that I am on track for Portugal and hopefully London.”
 
The championship was part of the State Epic Swim, a range of championship and recreational swims that attracted approximately 500 competitors. The event finishes tomorrow with the national 5km championship and the New Zealand Masters Championship.
 
Results, State New Zealand 10km Open Water Championships:
Men: Trent Grimsey (Australia) 1:59:50, 1; Kane Radford (Rotorua, HPC) 2:02:52, 2; Jonathan Pullon (Waterhole, Auckland) 2:08:07, 3; Casey Glover (Capital, Wellington) 2:08:25, 4; Troy Balvert (Waves, Otago) 2:09:05, 5.

Women: Melissa Gorman (AUS) 2:08:13, 1; Cara Baker (Howick Pakuranga) 2:10:40, 2; Charlotte Webby (Aquabladz, Taranaki) 2:15:42, 3; Emily Seymour (AUS) 2:19:59, 4; Grace Sommerville (Ashburton) 2:20:29, 5.
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
13 January 2012 - State 2012 New Zealand Open Water Championships
  
Baker goes to school for Olympic qualifying open water swim
  
London hopeful Cara Baker is hoping to put some good learnings into practice in Saturday’s crucial Olympic qualifying 10km open water swim in Taupo.

The 21 year old is favoured to secure one of the two spots up for grabs for the leading New Zealanders in both men’s and women’s races to progress to June’s final qualifying event in Portugal.

The State New Zealand 10km Open Water Championship, which has attracted a world class field from Australia and New Zealand, is part of the two-day Epic Swim in Lake Taupo this weekend comprising a range of championship and recreational swims.

The main focus is tomorrow’s Olympic qualifier, with Baker wanting to dispel the problems of her last 10km effort at the 2011 world championships in China, when she needed medical clearance after fainting twice, finishing 22nd.

“I learned a lot of things about myself in Shanghai, not just with the nutrition from the illness,” Baker said. “I learned that mentally I am a lot stronger than I realised. There are a few tactics I want to change and things with the feeding I want to change to see how it works out. I am learning with every race.”

Baker will find plenty of challengers led by outstanding Taranaki swimmer Charlotte Webby and a pack of strong Australians led by 2009 world champion Melissa Gorman.

“The first thing is to get the job done and get in the top two kiwis to get to Portugal.

“I don’t want to have a race that is not competitive. What I am trying to learn and put into practice is how to race at a world class level so I don’t want it to be slower and tactical. That won’t be the case with Melissa in the field.

“Charlotte Webby is coming back from competing in the 200 butterfly in the pool. In the State Ocean Series we have been fighting it out together.

“It will be definitely good as New Zealanders to go against Melissa to see where we stand in terms of our preparations for Portugal.”

“She is currently in the top 10 in the world in the pool right now and in open water she is easily in the top five and will probably win a medal in the Olympics.”

A key change will be that the women will compete in their own wave and not in a mass start where they can key off the males.

“I therefore was going to have to rethink my approach. But with Melissa in the field it should be a strong pace upfront and if that’s the case it is exactly what I need.

“I am still building and Taupo will be a matter of taking what I learned from the worlds and taking through to that swim.

“I want to play around with a few things in terms of my swim plan. I want to get in there and have a good swim and see just where I am at in terms of my preparation.”

Webby has been hard at work under coach Sue Southgate at the Aquabladz club in New Plymouth after spending a month under much vaunted Australian coach Ken Wood last year, in the same programme as Gorman.

Other kiwis to watch include Bridget Maher (Waterhole, Auckland) and Emma Robinson (Capital) while Gorman, the five-time Australian champion, heads a trio of visitors from across the Tasman along with Jessica Bayliss and Emily Seymour.

The men’s race features a battle among the kiwis including Kane Radford (Rotorua), defending champion Phillip Ryan (Waterhole), Casey Glover (Capital, Wellington), Jonathan Pullon (Waterhole) and Stefan Talbot (Howick Pakuranga). They will have plenty of competition in the form of FINA World Cup winner Trent Grimsey and fellow Australian Josh Richardson.

Racing begins at 9am with the State New Zealand 10km Championship to start at 11am.

Click here for audio of the Cara Baker interview.

Full details: www.epicswim.co.nz

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
12 January 2012 - State Epic Swim
Everything is coming together nicely for this weekend.
 
Facebook will be regularly updated with information throughout Saturday and Sunday so tell your friends and family to stay tuned.
10 January 2012 - New heights for Radford in Olympic open water swim qualifier
 
Rotorua swimmer Kane Radford has gone to new heights in his quest for the London Olympic Games.
 
The 21 year old completed a gruelling three weeks of training at altitude at Flagstaff, Arizona with the Swimming New Zealand High Performance squad last month, clocking up more than 250kms.
 
He hopes the hard yards will see him in shape for Saturday’s State New Zealand Open Water Championships at Lake Taupo, which double as the qualifying event for London. The top two New Zealand men and top two women will qualify for June’s final qualifying race in Portugal, where nine swimmers will earn an Olympic start in the 10km open water contest.
 
Radford is looking for a solid performance although he has not peaked for the qualifier.
 
“Really the focus has to be on June. I’ve done a massive amount of work and I am still in big work load. We will freshen a couple of days before the weekend but this is about getting the job done and moving on,” Radford said.
 
“The 10km swims can take it out of you so you can’t afford to peak for this weekend and expect to peak again in June and if you are successful peak for a third time in London. I have faith that I am in good shape and that I’ve done the work. Now I just have to put that into practice.”
 
Radford said he is pleased that leading Australians Trent Grimsey and Josh Richardson are in the field.
 
“They will be using the race to test their training towards the Australian championships and so they will make sure the pace is on. I want a world class pace for sure.”
 
Radford has not had much success over the 10km distance in recent times. He was second to Grimsey at the Oceania 10km at Lake Okataina in 2008, fourth at Taupo in 2010 and fifth last year. Across the Tasman he was seventh at the Australian 10km titles in 2009, eighth in 2010 and seventh last year.
 
Most of his success has come over shorter open water distances with victory in the Australian 5km championships last year, second in the New Zealand 5km along with two great wins in the prestigious Tiburon Mile in San Francisco in 2009 and last year.
 
There will be a major battle for the two men’s spots for Portugal between Radford, Auckland’s Phillip Ryan (Waterhole), his clubmate Jonathan Pullon, the Wellington pair of Isaac Foote and Casey Glover and talented teenager Stefan Talbot (Howick Pakuranga).
 
Ryan, 21, has plenty of credentials as the defending national champion over the 10km distance. He was third in 2010 (and second kiwi), and edged out Radford at the Australian championships in 2009 and 2010, although he finished 13th last year. The Waterhole club swimmer is returning after injury last year.
 
Glover, 25, is another who has battled some shoulder issues, remedied he hopes with regular pilates. He has spent time under leading Australian coach Denis Cotterell on the Gold Coast as well as his Capital club in Wellington.
 
Glover was runner-up last year behind Ryan, and achieved the same placing in 2010 behind Australian George O’Brien. He warmed up with a third placing in the New South Wales champs last month.
 
Main kiwi hopes in the women’s race are the Australian-based pair of Cara Baker (Howick Pakuranga) and Charlotte Webby (Taranaki) who will be challenged by former world champion and five-time Australian champion Melissa Gorman.
 
The race forms part of the two-day State Epic Swim in Lake Taupo, a range of elite and New Zealand Masters Championship races and recreational events that have attracted approximately 500 entries for the weekend.
 
The 10km championship is on Saturday along with the recreational swims, with the 5km national championships and New Zealand masters title decided on Sunday.
 
Details: www.epicswim.co.nz

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
10 January 2012 - State 2012 New Zealand Open Water Championships
 
Click here for details from our website.
10 January 2012 - State Epic Swim
  
Click here for details from the website or click here to follow us on Facebook.
10 January 2012 - Lake Taupo 14 - 15 January 2012
  
There will be the opportunity to come and swim with New Zealands best pool and open water swimmers.
  
Swimmers in the State New Zealand Open Water Championships are pushing for the opportunity to compete at the London Olympics.
 
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