FINA World Short Course Swim Championships - NZ Day 4 Wrap

Five New Zealand records fell on the fourth day of the FINA World Short Course Championships in Manchester today.

The 26 year old Helen Norfolk smashed her own record twice finishing sixth in the final of the 200m individual medley in another outstanding display.

Teenager Hayley Palmer, who spent nine years living in England, returned there in style to break the 50m freestyle mark twice but could not advance to the finals while fellow North Shore swimmer Glenn Snyders grabbed another record in the 50m breaststroke but was edged out by a fingertip from a spot in the final.

Norfolk was only New Zealander to qualify for a final today after finishing fifth fastest in the morning heats of the 200m individual medley. Her time of 2:10.73 was nearly two seconds off her previous New Zealand record set at the Sydney World Cup in 2005.

She lowered that again by a further half a second in the final, finishing sixth behind the super-hot Kirsty Coventry (Zimbabwe) who bagged yet another world record of 2:06.13.
Norfolk has broken New Zealand records in every swim at the championships - the 200m and 400m medley and 400m freestyle - and still has the 200m freestyle on the final day tomorrow to complete a busy but brilliant week.

Palmer, 18, qualified 10th fastest in the heats of the 50m freestyle, with her time of 25.06 earning her the national record, 15/100ths under the previous mark set by Nichola Chellingworth at the Melbourne World Cup in 2004.

The North Shore swimmer, coached by Scott Talbot-Cameron, reduced the record to 25.05 in the semi-finals tonight to be 11th fastest, missing out on the final by 3/10ths of a second.
Snyders continued his excellent championship to qualify seventh fastest in the heats of the 50m breaststroke. His time of 27.21 broke the 1995 record of 27.31 held by Paul Kent and now means that Snyders owns all three national short course breaststroke records.

He was a fraction slower in the semi-final tonight with his time of 27.26 the 11th fastest, just 6/100th of a second off qualifying for the finals with only 8/10ths of a second covering the entire field for both semi-finals.

In other swims Liz Coster was 11th fastest in heats of the 50m backstroke but was fractionally slower in the semi-final to miss out on a place in the final.
Dean Kent and Daniel Bell also made it through the heats of the 100m individual medley but missed out qualifying from the semi-finals, while Cameron Gibson and Robert Voss did not advance from the heats of the 100m freestyle.
The final day of competition will see Daniel bell (West Auckland Aquatics) in the 200m backstroke, Moss Burmester and Andrew McMillan in the 200m butterfly, Norfolk and Melissa Ingram in the 200m freestyle and the New Zealand team (Bell, Corney Swanepoel, Snyders and Cameron Gibson) in the 4x100m medley relay.

New Zealand results, day 4:
Heats:
50m backstroke: Liz Coster 27.93, 11th.
100m freestyle: Cameron Gibson 48.97, 24th; Robert Voss 50.69, 40th.
100m individual medley: Dean Kent 54.59, 8th; Daniel Bell 54.90, 10th.
50m freestyle: Hayley Palmer 25.06, 10th (NZ record).
200m individual medley: Helen Norfolk 2:10.73, 5th (NZ record).
50m breaststroke: Glenn Snyders 27.21, 7th (NZ record).

Semifinals:
50m backstroke: Coster 28.01, 10th.
100m individual medley: Bell 54.61, 12th; Kent 54.91, 14th.
50m freestyle: Palmer 25.05, 11th (NZ record).
50m breaststroke: Synders 27.26, 11th.

Final:
200m individual medley: Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) 2:06.13, 1 (World record); Mireia Belmonte (ESP) 2:07.47, 2; Hannah Miley (GBR) 2:08.79, 3. Norfolk (NZL) 2:10.17, 6th (NZ record).

12 April 2008

FINA World Short Course Swim Championships - NZ Day 3 Wrap

New Zealand swimmers were again edged out of the medals on the third day of the FINA World Short Course Championships in Manchester today.
Melissa Ingram finished fourth in the final of the 200m backstroke, Helen Norfolk seventh in the 400m freestyle and Dean Kent eighth in the 200m individual medley on a day of records for the Kiwi camp.

They established five national records to Ingram in the 200m backstroke, Corney Swanepoel in the 50m butterfly, Kent in the 200m individual medley, Norfolk in the 400m freestyle and Glenn Snyders in the 200m breaststroke.

Ingram was the second New Zealander at the meet to narrowly miss out on a medal, finishing fourth in the 200m backstroke which was dominated by a stunning world record by Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry.

The New Zealander claimed her second national record of the day, clocking 2:04.70 in the final after reducing her own mark by 7/10ths of a second in the morning heat.
The 22 year old pushed boldly into contention turning at the midway mark in third place in a fraction over the minute mark but the fast finishing American Margaret Hoelzner edged Ingram out of the bronze medal.

It would have been Ingram's second bronze in this event after finishing third at Indianapolis in 2004.

Norfolk, who also went well under her national record in the morning heat, pushed out confidently in the final, sitting a length behind the three leaders through the first half of the race, but she could not maintain that bold momentum to finish seventh, two seconds slower than her morning swim.

Kent also made an aggressive start to his 200m individual medley final, challenging for fourth after the backstroke leg midway through the race. He was tackled late in the breaststroke and paid the price for his gallant approach to be edged back to eighth as American Ryan Lochte powered away to win in a new world record.

The morning session brought a raft of New Zealand records with three swimmers advancing directly to finals, two to semifinals and five national records in the process.
Swanepoel took 4/10ths off his own mark clocking 23.23 to be third fastest qualifier in the 50m butterfly, but was half a second slower in the semifinal, missing out on a place in the final by 4/100ths of a second.

Teammate Moss Burmester also made it through to the semifinals after a personal best 23.72 in the morning but did not advance to the finals although his speed will no doubt give him a boost with the 200m butterfly on the final day.

Snyders had to be content with his second New Zealand record clocking 2:10.30, more than a second inside the 1995 record of Paul Kent for the 200m breaststroke, but it was not enough to make it into the top eight for the finals.

Ingram clocked 2:05.55 to be fifth fastest in the 200m backstroke heats and she went faster again in the final, while Norfolk reduced her own record in the 400m freestyle, taking 1.5s off the mark in 4:04.51.

Kent edged under his 2005 mark to record 1:56.74 to be fifth fastest qualifier from the heats.
Earlier Daniel Bell (West Auckland) came within 1/100th of the national record clocking 24.64 to be 19th fastest in the 50m backstroke while Robert Voss (North Shore) achieved a personal best 3:50.50.74 to be 19th fastest in the 400m freestyle.

New Zealand results, day 3:
Heats:
50m backstroke: Daniel Bell 24.64, 19th.
200m backstroke: Melissa Ingram 2:05.55, 5th (NZ Record).
50m butterfly: Corney Swanepoel 23.23, 3rd (NZ record); Moss Burmester 23.72, 15th.
400m freestyle: Robert Voss 3:50.74, 19th.
200m individual medley: Dean Kent 1:56.74, 5th (NZ Record).
400m freestyle: Helen Norfolk 4:04.51, 4th (NZ Record).
200m breaststroke: Glenn Snyders 2:10.30, 14th (NZ Record).

Semifinals:
50m butterfly: Swanepoel 23.31, 9th; Burmester 23.84, 16th.

Finals:
200m backstroke: Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) 2:00.94, 1 (world record); Elizabeth Simmonds (GBR) 2:02.60, 2; Margaret Hoelzer (USA) 2:03.85, 3; Melissa Ingram (NZL) 2:04.70, 4.

400m freestyle: Kylie Palmer (AUS) 3:59.23, 1; Alina Potec (ROU) 4:01.06, 2; Joanne Jackson (GBR) 4:01.11, 3. Helen Norfolk (NZL) 4:06.67, 7.
200m individual medley: Ryan Lochte (USA) 1:51.56, 1 (world record); Liam Tancock (GBR) 1:53.10, 2; James Goddard (GBR) 1:55.15, 3. Dean Kent (NZL) 1:57.90, 8.