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North Shore swimmer Corney Swanepoel showed he is back to his best on the second night of finals at the New Zealand Youth and Open Championships in Christchurch tonight.

Swanepoel closed in on a long standing New Zealand record to win the 50m butterfly. His win led some impressive performances from the country’s elite swimmers who have returned this week from the Commonwealth Games and the World Short Course Championships.

A number of the travel-weary elite squad performed superbly tonight with Georgina Toomey (Jasi, Christchurch), Kelly Bentley (Capital, Wellington) along with Dean Kent, Glenn Snyders, Cameron Gibson and Nichola Chellingworth (all North Shore) taking out titles tonight.

There were also some encouraging signs for the future with Tauranga’s Penelope Marshall (pictured) grabbing her first open title along with Southland’s Natalie Wiegersma at the QE2 Pool.

Swanepoel, who was in the top three in the world last year but has struggled in the last 12 months, showed he is close to returning to his best form. He took out the 50m butterfly final in 24.00s, which was only 2/10ths outside his national record.

Commonwealth Games medallist Kent showed his versatility by winning the 200m backstroke and was second to clubmate Snyders in the 100m breaststroke final. Snyders impressed with a wonderful swim in a personal best 1:03.67 to qualify for the Pan Pacific Championships later this year. This is his first individual qualification for a major international meet, after qualifying for relay squads to the world championships and Commonwealth Games.

Chellingworth, a Commonwealth Games finalist, won the 50m freestyle final in 25.80, a time faster than she swam in Melbourne. She finished ahead of fellow Games teammates Lauren Boyle and Alison Fitch.

Gibson won the 100m freestyle in an impressive 50.78s, which was just half a second outside the 13-year-old national record held by Jon Winter, while Toomey and Bentley proved too classy in winning the 100m butterfly and 200m breaststroke titles respectively.

Marshall, 16, impressed in winning the 200m backstroke final that earned her first New Zealand Open title. Her victory in 2:16.56 consolidated her international claims with a second qualifying swim for the World Youth Championships.

The meet continues until Sunday.

Full results: www.swimmingnz.org.nz