Absolute Insurance Short Course Swim Championships – Saturday finals

The tried and the new shone on the second morning of finals of the Absolute Insurance Short Course Championships at Waitakere City tonight.

Twenty-six year old veteran Helen Norfolk continued her outstanding form with a New Zealand record and world short course championship qualifying time in the 400m freestyle at the West Wave Aquatics Centre.

Her 20-year-old North Shore team-mate William Benson was one of the young guns to shine, also setting a New Zealand record in upsetting established stars Moss Burmester and Corney Swanepoel in winning the 50m butterfly final. This was mixed when he was an agonising 1/100th of a second outside qualifying for the world championship.

The world championship team stands at 13 swimmers, although North Shore’s Glenn Snyders and Dean Kent also went under championship qualifying times in the same events they set qualifying marks for earlier.

Norfolk was again impressive as she charged to a new national record of 4:05.93, which was nearly two seconds under the record of her club mate Melissa Ingram. She attacked, going through the 200m in two minutes flat although faded slightly in the final 100m.

“I’m really happy with that. I didn’t quite have it in the second half of the race and couldn’t come home as I wanted.

“But it feels good to be 26 and still doing personal bests and New Zealand records. It shows I am not too old yet.”

Benson has impressed this week, making a strong start against his more illustrious club mates Burmester and Swanepoel. He held them off with a powerful finish to win in 23.78, which was 2/100ths of a second under Swanepoel’s New Zealand record set last month in Europe.

However he was a fingernail off the world championships qualifying time of 23.77.

“That was really disappointing for William. He has been training very well and was very focussed. A world championship qualifying time would have been real reward for him,” said national coach Jan Cameron.

Two other young guns shone today with 18-year-old Hayley Palmer (North Shore) adding two more titles in the 50m freestyle and 100m individual medley – both won in national age group records.

Seventeen year old Daniel Bell (West Auckland), who qualified for the world championships yesterday, attacked individual medley king Dean Kent in the final of the 200m medley. The teenager led through the 100m mark but paid the price for two poor turns in the breaststroke to allow Kent to power home.

“It’s good to win but it’s great to see some young talent coming through,” Kent said.

Bell had some compensation in breaking Danyon Loader’s national age group record in finishing second.

Other titles decided today went to Abby Shaw (Aquagym, Christchurch) in the 100m butterfly, Liz Coster (North Shore) in the 100m backstroke, Kelly Bentley (Capital) in the 200m breaststroke, Kurt Bassett (Laser Mt Eden) in the 200m backstroke and Burmester in the 200m freestyle over team mate Andrew McMillan

There are further heats this evening with the finals tomorrow morning.