Membership

Experience and youth were to the fore on the final night of the State Insurance New Zealand Championships at the West Wave Aquatic Centre in Auckland tonight.

Titleholder Melissa Ingram (High Performance Centre – North Shore) took out the women’s 200m backstroke and dragged brilliant 15 year old Cantabrian Sophia Batchelor (AquaGym) through with both swimmers going under the qualifying time for July’s FINA World Championships in Shanghai.

Ingram, 25, the most experienced swimmer in the country, saved her best until last with a well measured performance to clock 2:10.38, more than two seconds under the qualifying time.

“That’s very encouraging. The 200m back is always at the end of the meet so I am used to coping with that. I think my friends and family were more stressed,” said Ingram, coached by Scott Talbot.

“My build-up this time was not quite as long because I had my wisdom teeth out after Delhi and some time out of the pool. With that in mind I am really pleased with the swim and where I am at.

“My 100m back was still solid and I'm trying to cope with swimming faster in the shorter races. The 200m is my race. It’s a pace that’s second nature to me and I was happy to get under the time, get on the team and now prepare well and work hard for Shanghai.”

There was plenty of excitement when Batchelor, coached by Leanne Speechley, clung on to the heels of Ingram with a superbly judged effort to clock a personal best 2:11.72 to book her spot in the team for Shanghai.

Batchelor said she was lost for words with the qualifying swim on the back of a difficult build-up caused by the earthquake in Christchurch which forced the closure of her club pool and QEII, while the family also suffered with extensive damage to their home.

“I was really, really nervous before the race,” Batchelor said. “I put my headphones on and tried to relax because that’s how I swim best.

“It’s incredible. I can’t put it into words. It was hard with no long course pool to train in and then to lose our own pool and so I came here with no expectations.

“It was so kind of the North Canterbury club to accommodate us and we just did the best we could. I am totally speechless with that. I can’t believe I’ve just qualified for the world championships.”

Taranaki’s Dylan Dunlop-Barrett completed an impressive clean sweep of the distance freestyle events, adding the 1500m title to the 400m and 800m won earlier in the week. The Gold Coast-based swimmer set a bold pace in an attempt to tackle the 17 year old national record held by Danyon Loader.

As he fell off that fierce pace, the battle loomed behind with Rotorua’s Kane Radford edging out 14 year old Michael Mincham (Waterhole) in the final touch to nab second. Dunlop-Barrett won in 15:48.72 from Radford (15:50.64) and Mincham (15:50.69) who sliced a huge chunk off the 14 years national age group record.

At the other end of the spectrum there were some close battles in the sprints.

Carl O’Donnell (HPC North Shore) added the 50m freestyle to the 100m title won earlier in the week in the dash of the fast men. O’Donnell won in 23.22 from Cameron Simpson (Templeton) and defending champion Orinoco Faamausili Banse (Laser Mt Eden) with 3/100th of a second separating the podium placegetters.

Youth was again to the fore when 18 year old Lauren Quilter (HPC Comets) clocked 27.06 to win the 50m butterfly, only 5/100ths outside the national record, out-touching the North Shore pair of Hayley Palmer (27.13) and Samantha Richter (27.58).       

Record holder Corney Swanepoel (HPC Roskill Magic) headed off rivals in another close battle in the men’s 100m butterfly in 54.11 ahead of Daniel Bell (54.34) and Andrew McMillan (54.41).

Titleholder Natalie Wiegersma (Waverley), coached by Jeremy Duncan, took out the women’s 400m individual medley in 4:47.76 ahead of Samantha Lucie-Smith (Capital) and Kelsey Moffatt (Capital).

Tauranga’s Nathan Capp, now swimming out of the High Performance Centre, took out the men’s 400m medley in 4:26.14, coming from behind with a strong freestyle leg to edge Howick Pakuranga’s Carsten Corazza (4:26.59) and HPC-North Shore’s Mitchell Donaldson (4:26.98).

There are 10 swimmers – seven individuals and one relay team – to go under the qualifying standards with the team for the FINA World Championships to be announced at the Swimming New Zealand Awards function tomorrow evening.

Results of day 6 finals:

Men’s 1500m freestyle:  Dylan Dunlop-Barrett (Aquabladz) 15:48.72; 1, Kane Radford (HPC Swim Rotorua) 15:50.64, 2; Michael Mincham (Waterhole) 15:50.69, 3.

Men’s 50m freestyle:  Carl O’Donnell (HPC North Shore) 23.22, 1; Cameron Simpson (Templeton) 23.23, 2; Orinoco Faamausili Banse (Laser Mt Eden) 23.25, 3.

Women’s 50m butterfly:  Laura Quilter (HPC Comet) 27.06, 1; Hayley Palmer (North Shore) 27.13, 2; Samantha Richter (North Shore) 27.58, 3.

Men’s 100m butterfly:  Corney Swanepoel (HPC Roskill) 54.11, 1; Daniel Bell (HPC North Shore) 54.34, 2; Andrew McMillan (HPC North Shore) 54.41, 3.

Women’s 200m backstroke:  Melissa Ingram (HPC North Shore) 2:10.33, 1 (World Champs Qualifying); Sophia Batchelor (Aquagym) 2:11.72, 2 (World Champs Qualifying); Penelope Marshall (HPC North Shore) 2:14.26, 3.

Women’s 400m individual medley:  Natalie Wiegersma (Waverley) 4:47.76, 1; Samantha Lucie-Smith (Capital) 4:54.02, 2; Kelsey Moffatt (Capital) 4:59.47, 3.

Men’s 400m individual medley:  Nathan Capp (HPC Greerton) 4:26.14, 1; Carsten Corazza (Howick Pakuranga) 4:26.59, 2; Mitchell Donaldson (HPC North Shore) 4:26.98, 3.

CAPTION: Melissa Ingram in action at the State Insurance New Zealand Swimming Championships tonight.

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

Full details: www.swimmingnz.org.nz

For further information contact: