Absolute Insurance Youth & Open Swim – Day 4 Finals
Internationals Corney Swanepoel and Cameron Gibson continued on their record blitz during the fourth morning of finals at the Absolute Insurance Youth and Open Swimming Championships in Christchurch this morning.
The 21-year-old Swanepoel, who broke his own New Zealand record for the 50m butterfly in the heats last night, lowered it again in the preliminary final this morning at the QE2 Aquatic Centre. Swanepoel sliced 2/100ths of a second off the record last night and reduced it by a further 7/100ths of a second to 23.67s in this morning’s race, a time that would have placed him seventh in the final at the world championships last week. He has a chance to further lower the record in tomorrow’s final.
Gibson made it three straight New Zaland records in the 50m freestyle, lowering the mark again to a brilliant 22.85s to win the final from Swanepoel, who surprised to edge out 16-year-old Orinoco Faamausili-Banse (Laser Mt Eden) and previous record-holder Mark Herring (West Auckland Aquatics).
Gibson, now based in the specialist sprint programme in Bath, England, has reduced the national record more than 3/10ths of a second during the championships.
The powerhouse North Shore club remained dominant in this morning’s finals, after competing in the world championships in Melbourne last week.
Moss Burmester, Melissa Ingram, Dean Kent, Glenn Snyders and Helen Norfolk all won titles today with the other two won by two promising teenagers in Natalie Wiegersma (Spirit of Southland) and Kurt Bassett (Laser Mt Eden).
Burmester dominated the 400m freestyle winning comfortably in 3:55.68 from up-and-comer Shane Patience (Waves, Dunedin) while Ingram was also well clear in winning the 200m backstroke in 2:14.41 from clubmate Penny Marshall.
Kent was in a class of his own to win the 200m individual medley in 2:04.70 from Wellington’s John Gatfield and another Melbourne star Helen Norfolk was far too classy in winning the 400m freestyle in 4:15.93 from Manawatu’s Cara Baker before also claiming the 100m freestyle honours from Te Rina Taite and Lauren Boyle.
Snyders finished second behind England record-holder Darren Mew but took the national title in the 50m breaststroke in 28.78.
Wiegersma, last year’s world youth backstroke champion, showed her versatility to win the 200m butterfly title from Abby Shaw (Aquagym, Christchurch) in 2:18.44. Bassett (Laser Mt Eden), second in the 100m backstroke final, went one better to edge North Shore’s Cameron Stanley in a nailbiter to win the 200m backstroke by just 4/100ths of a second in 2:04.43.
The championships continue until Sunday.
Day 4 finals results:
400m freestyle: Moss Burmester (North Shore) 3:55.68, 1; Shane Patience (Waves) 4:01.30, 2; Karl Poole (Hamilton) 4:02.10, 3.
200m butterfly: Natalie Wiegersma (Southland) 2:18.44, 1; Abby Shaw (Aquagym) 2:19.95, 2; Chantelle Cowlrick (Capital) 2:20.35, 3.
200m backstroke, men: Kurt Bassett (Laser Mt Eden) 2:04.43, 1; Cameron Stanley (North Shore) 2:04.47, 2; John Zulch (North Shore) 2:05.43, 3.
200m backstroke, women: Melissa Ingram (North Shore) 2:14.41, 1; Penny Marshall (North Shore) 2:18.54, 2; Kelly Newcombe (West Auckland Aquatics) 2:20.37, 3.
200m individual medley: Dean Kent (North Shore) 2:04.70, 1; John Gatfield (Watties Swim City) 2:09.59, 2; Michael Jack (West Auckland Aquatics) 2:09.71, 3.
400m freestyle: Helen Norfolk (North Shore) 4:15.93, 1; Cara Baker (Kiwi West) 4:19.65, 2; Kirsten Cameron (Capital) 4:25.33, 3.
50m breaststroke: Darren Mew (England) 28.59, 1; Glenn Snyders (North Shore) 28.78, 2; Starn Simpson (West Auckland) 30.07, 3.
100m freestyle: Norfolk 57.14, 1; Te Rina Taite (Jasi) 57.20, 2; Lauren Boyle (West Auckland Aquatics) 57.39, 3.
50m freestyle: Cameron Gibson (Bath) 22.87, 1; Swanepoel 23.05, 2; Orinoco Faamausili-Banse (Laser Mt Eden) 23.20, 3.
Full results: www.swimmingnz.org.nz Video footage of the Open Finals can be viewed at the Infonews website
For further information:
Ian Hepenstall, Sports Media NZ, Tel 0275 613181, E: ianhep@xtra.co.nz
The 21-year-old Swanepoel, who broke his own New Zealand record for the 50m butterfly in the heats last night, lowered it again in the preliminary final this morning at the QE2 Aquatic Centre. Swanepoel sliced 2/100ths of a second off the record last night and reduced it by a further 7/100ths of a second to 23.67s in this morning’s race, a time that would have placed him seventh in the final at the world championships last week. He has a chance to further lower the record in tomorrow’s final.
Gibson made it three straight New Zaland records in the 50m freestyle, lowering the mark again to a brilliant 22.85s to win the final from Swanepoel, who surprised to edge out 16-year-old Orinoco Faamausili-Banse (Laser Mt Eden) and previous record-holder Mark Herring (West Auckland Aquatics).
Gibson, now based in the specialist sprint programme in Bath, England, has reduced the national record more than 3/10ths of a second during the championships.
The powerhouse North Shore club remained dominant in this morning’s finals, after competing in the world championships in Melbourne last week.
Moss Burmester, Melissa Ingram, Dean Kent, Glenn Snyders and Helen Norfolk all won titles today with the other two won by two promising teenagers in Natalie Wiegersma (Spirit of Southland) and Kurt Bassett (Laser Mt Eden).
Burmester dominated the 400m freestyle winning comfortably in 3:55.68 from up-and-comer Shane Patience (Waves, Dunedin) while Ingram was also well clear in winning the 200m backstroke in 2:14.41 from clubmate Penny Marshall.
Kent was in a class of his own to win the 200m individual medley in 2:04.70 from Wellington’s John Gatfield and another Melbourne star Helen Norfolk was far too classy in winning the 400m freestyle in 4:15.93 from Manawatu’s Cara Baker before also claiming the 100m freestyle honours from Te Rina Taite and Lauren Boyle.
Snyders finished second behind England record-holder Darren Mew but took the national title in the 50m breaststroke in 28.78.
Wiegersma, last year’s world youth backstroke champion, showed her versatility to win the 200m butterfly title from Abby Shaw (Aquagym, Christchurch) in 2:18.44. Bassett (Laser Mt Eden), second in the 100m backstroke final, went one better to edge North Shore’s Cameron Stanley in a nailbiter to win the 200m backstroke by just 4/100ths of a second in 2:04.43.
The championships continue until Sunday.
Day 4 finals results:
400m freestyle: Moss Burmester (North Shore) 3:55.68, 1; Shane Patience (Waves) 4:01.30, 2; Karl Poole (Hamilton) 4:02.10, 3.
200m butterfly: Natalie Wiegersma (Southland) 2:18.44, 1; Abby Shaw (Aquagym) 2:19.95, 2; Chantelle Cowlrick (Capital) 2:20.35, 3.
200m backstroke, men: Kurt Bassett (Laser Mt Eden) 2:04.43, 1; Cameron Stanley (North Shore) 2:04.47, 2; John Zulch (North Shore) 2:05.43, 3.
200m backstroke, women: Melissa Ingram (North Shore) 2:14.41, 1; Penny Marshall (North Shore) 2:18.54, 2; Kelly Newcombe (West Auckland Aquatics) 2:20.37, 3.
200m individual medley: Dean Kent (North Shore) 2:04.70, 1; John Gatfield (Watties Swim City) 2:09.59, 2; Michael Jack (West Auckland Aquatics) 2:09.71, 3.
400m freestyle: Helen Norfolk (North Shore) 4:15.93, 1; Cara Baker (Kiwi West) 4:19.65, 2; Kirsten Cameron (Capital) 4:25.33, 3.
50m breaststroke: Darren Mew (England) 28.59, 1; Glenn Snyders (North Shore) 28.78, 2; Starn Simpson (West Auckland) 30.07, 3.
100m freestyle: Norfolk 57.14, 1; Te Rina Taite (Jasi) 57.20, 2; Lauren Boyle (West Auckland Aquatics) 57.39, 3.
50m freestyle: Cameron Gibson (Bath) 22.87, 1; Swanepoel 23.05, 2; Orinoco Faamausili-Banse (Laser Mt Eden) 23.20, 3.
Full results: www.swimmingnz.org.nz Video footage of the Open Finals can be viewed at the Infonews website
For further information:
Ian Hepenstall, Sports Media NZ, Tel 0275 613181, E: ianhep@xtra.co.nz