Snyders hopes for birthday wish at world swim championships
North Shore swimmer Glenn Snyders is hoping to come of age when he leads off the New Zealand campaign at the FINA World Short Course Swimming Championships in Manchester late tonight (Wednesday NZ time).
Snyders turned 21 yesterday with the New Zealand team presenting him with a birthday cake but they have put the celebrations on hold until after the five-day meet that begins in the drop-in pool at the MEN Centre in downtown Manchester.
It’s a busy start for the kiwis with 10 swimmers in action in day one heats including Snyders who is hoping his form in last week’s long course Olympic Trials will hold over to the short course.
He took 1.3 seconds off his previous best to set a national record of 60.50 in the 100m breaststroke on the first night of the Olympic Trials and he is hoping to start strongly again tomorrow. Snyders holds the national record over the short course (25m) of 59.82s but can look confidently at reducing that.
Corney Swanepoel and Moss Burmester will contend the heats of the 100m butterfly, Robert Voss and Andrew McMillan in the 200m freestyle, Liz Coster and Melissa Ingram in the 100m backstroke, Daniel Bell in the 100m backstroke, Zoe Baker in the 50m breaststroke and Helen Norfolk in the 200m individual medley.
“We look and feel good but we know there’s a big job ahead of us,” head coach Jan Cameron said. “The fields look really hot overall. All of the best butter flyers are here with the exception of Phelps here and lots of the top breaststrokers are here aside from Hansen or Kitajima.”
Cameron said she has withdrawn some swimmers from weaker events so they can concentrate on performances in key swims.
“We want them to get up and do the business and give them all the help we can so they can focus on their main events. There are no free rides.
“Overall we are looking forward to the challenge, and taking all the positives we can get from the chance to swim against many of the world’s best.”
The meet continues until Monday (NZ time).