State Insurance NZ Swimming Championships – Day 6 Heats
Olympian Melissa Ingram made her intentions clear with a superb performance in the heats on the final day of the State Insurance New Zealand Swimming Championships in Auckland.
The 25 year old, the most experienced member of Swimming New Zealand’s High Performance Centre squad, went under the qualifying standard in the heats of her specialist 200m backstroke.
Ingram topped qualifiers in 2:12.16, more than half a second inside the standard for July’s FINA World Championships, ahead of tonight’s final where she will need to repeat the performance.
The North Shore swimmer missed out on qualifying in the 100m final after going under the standard in the heats but looked in impressive form today.
Corney Swanepoel (HPC Roskill) was fastest in heats of the 100m butterfly (54.43) while defending champion Orinoco Faamausili-Banse (Laser Mt Eden) was quickest in the 50m freestyle in 23.31.
Laura Quilter (HPC Comets) topped qualifiers in the 50m butterfly in 27.62 while training partner Chloe Francis (HPC North Shore) produced the only sub-five minute effort to be best in heats of the 400m individual medley (4:59.23). Tauranga’s Nathan Capp (HPC Greerton) was fastest in the men’s 400m individual medley heats in 4:33.76.
Tonight’s final session, which also features the final of the men’s 1500m freestyle, starts at 6pm.
Full details: www.swimmingnz.org.nz
For further information contact:
