State Insurance NZ Swimming Championships - Day 2 Heats
State Insurance NZ Swimming Championships - Day 2 Heats
One of New Zealand’s most experienced swimmers Melissa Ingram signalled her intentions with a strong swim in heats on day two of the State Insurance New Zealand Swimming Championships in Auckland.
Ingram, 25, was the top qualifier in heats of the 100m backstroke in 1:01.61, which is under the qualifying time for July’s FINA World Championships in Shanghai.
The six-day championships at the West Wave Aquatic Centre in Henderson double as the official trials for the FINA World Championships.
Ingram, a former World Short Course medallist and double Olympian, will need to repeat the performance tonight with qualification only able to be attained in the evening finals.
Fellow Commonwealth Games teammate Natalie Wiegersma, who qualified in winning the 200m individual medley last night, was second fastest ahead of North Shore’s Jessie Blundell.
Delhi medallists Gareth Kean and Daniel Bell topped qualifiers in the men’s 100m backstroke to set up a mouth-watering prospect for tonight’s finals.
Kean (Capital) equalled the world championship qualifying standard of 55.14 to win heat two with Bell, the national record holder, winning the third heat 2/10ths of a second slower.
Former Otago swimmer Andrew McMillan, now at the High Performance Centre North Shore, was fastest in heats of the 200m freestyle clocking 1:52.05 and national champion Natasha Lloyd (North Canterbury) topped qualifiers in the 100m breaststroke in 1:12.59.
Tonight’s final session starts at 6pm.
Full details: www.swimmingnz.org.nz
For further information contact:
IAN HEPENSTALL
Media Liaison, Swimming NZ High Performance
Sports Media NZ Ltd
Tel +64 9 2327822
Mob +64 275613181
Skype: kiwiheps
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