5 New Zealand Records broken on first day of Worlds

Five New Zealand swimmers are through to finals on the first day of the FINA world short course championships in Manchester today.

It was an excellent start for the New Zealand squad, with new national records to Glenn Snyders, Zoe Baker, Helen Norfolk, Moss Burmester and Corney Swanepoel in the drop-in pool at the MEN Arena, which saw three world records on the opening day.

Norfolk led the way as the first New Zealand finalist, finishing sixth in the final of the 400m individual medley won in a new world record by Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry.

The Kiwi went under her own national record in qualifying third fastest in the heats, clocking 4:34.05 which was 4/100ths inside her old mark set last December at the short course trials. She was not able to improve on that in the final in 4:34.36 in managing a solid sixth place.

The others to win through to finals tomorrow include Baker in the 50m breaststroke, Snyders in the 100m breaststroke and both Swanepoel and Burmester in the 100m butterfly.

“It was a fantastic start for us and very encouraging,” national coach Jan Cameron said. “I thought all the swimmers got to grips with the championships and we saw some big improvements and to swims.

“We are looking for Corney and Moss to pick up again tomorrow and Glenn learned a lot from his semi-final experiences and we think he will improve also.

“Zoe was excellent tonight and will press for a medal tomorrow and Liz just missed out. Overall we are very happy with that start.”

Baker, sixth in the final in Shanghai two years ago and a bronze medallist in 2002, took 1/10th of a second off her own New Zealand record in qualifying second fastest for tomorrow’s final.

The Christchurch-based swimmer was fifth fastest in the morning heats in 30.82 but improved with an outstanding swim to win the second semi-final in 30.27, second only to 16-year-old Russian Yuliya Elomova.

Snyders, who turned 21 this week, continued his rich vein of form to break his own national record in commanding fashion in the morning heat. He clocked 58.67s, which was more than a second inside the record he set last December to be the fastest qualifier. He was slow off the blocks in his semi-final but recovered well to clock 58.90s, just outside his morning swim, but seventh fastest to secure a place in his first world championship final.

Coster qualified second fastest in her heat of the 100m backstroke behind the remarkable Coventry after setting a big personal best of 58.71, 11/100ths outside the national record. Like Snyders, she also made a slow start in her semi-final but also came home strongly to lower her personal best again to 58.63. However she was a fingertip away from making the final, finishing ninth fastest and only 6/100ths behind the last qualifier.

Her team-mate and 200m backstroke specialist Melissa Ingram qualified ninth fastest in her heat and 12th in the semi-finals with her 59.39s a significant personal best.

Burmester, the silver medallist in the 200m butterfly at Shanghai, set the tone with an outstanding 51.37 to top qualifiers in the heats of the 100m butterfly, breaking team-mate Swanepoel’s New Zealand record by 3/10ths of a second in the process. Swanepoel also pushed through to the semi-finals with a solid 51.93 in his heat to be 11th fastest.

But it was Swanepoel who turned up the heat in lane seven of the semi-final, finishing second and third fastest overall with a brilliant 50.94s, the first New Zealander under the 51 second barrier. This reduced his old record set back in 2004 by nearly a second and was 4/10ths faster than Burmester’s morning record swim.

Burmester also went faster again than the morning in a new personal best 51.30s to be seventh fastest and earn a place in tomorrow’s final.

West Auckland teenager Daniel Bell qualified for the semi-final in the 100m backstroke in his first major open international meet, finishing a touch outside his best to claim the last spot in the semi-finals in 53.30s, but did not advance to the final.

Earlier in the heats Andrew McMillan and Robert Voss did not progress in the 200m freestyle

New Zealand results, day 1:

Final 400m, individual medley: Kirsty Coventry (ZIB) 4:26.52, 1 (world record); Hannah Miley (GBR) 4:27.27, 2; Mireia Belmonte (ESP) 4:27.55, 3. Helen Norfolk 4:34.36, 6.

Semi-finals:

Women, 50m breaststroke: Zoe Baker 30.27s, 2nd fastest (NZ record, qualify for final).

100m breaststroke: Glenn Snyders, 50.89, 7th (qualify for final)

100m backstroke: Daniel Bell 53.80, 16th.

100m backstroke: Liz Coster 58.63, 9th; Melissa Ingram 59.39, 12th.

100m butterfly: Corney Swanepoel 50.94, 3rd (NZ Record, qualified for final), Moss Burmester 51.30, 7th (qualified for final).

Heats:

200m freestyle: Andrew McMillan 1:47.74, 18th; Robert Voss 1:48.29, 21.

50m breaststroke: Zoe Baker 30.82, 5th.

100m backstroke: Daniel Bell 53.30, 16th.

100m breaststroke: Glenn Snyders 58.67, 1st (NZ Record).

100m backstroke: Liz Coster 58.71, 2nd; Melissa Ingram 59.70, 9th.

100m butterfly: Moss Burmester 51.37, 1st; Corney Swanepoel 51.93, 11th.

400m individual medley: Helen Norfolk 4:34.05, 3rd (NZ record).