Record start for NZ lifesavers

New Zealand has opened up a healthy lead on the first day of the world lifesaving championships in Germany after a world record start to the pool competition.

Team captain Glenn Anderson anchored the men’s 4 x 50m obstacle relay team to victory in the final, shattering their own world mark set last year by 1.4secs.

Anderson, Michael Buck, Andy McMillan and Steven Kent finished in 1:39.55, nearly 2secs in front of Italy’s 1:41.42, with Australia third in 1:41.77.

Anderson, Buck and Kent helped set the previous mark of 1:40.95 at the German Cup meet late last year but the skipper believed this was far more satisfying.

“The team was hopeful of a world record but the gold medal was the priority and we knew if we did things right we would go close to both,” Anderson said. “All the guys really stepped up - it was one of the highlights of my career when we first broke it last year but to do it at a world championship is just so much better.”

The New Zealand women team finished third in the 4 x 50m obstacle relay while McMillan earlier captured silver in the 200m obstacle swim, breaking Trent Bray’s 10-year-old national record.

McMillan clocked 1:56.06, pruning 1.8secs off the mark Bray set at the 1998 world championships in Auckland. He finished just behind Italian Federico Pinotti, who narrowly missed breaking the world record with a 1:55.51 swim.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my swim– it’s great to pick up a silver medal but I was here to win,” McMillan said. “The world record definitely made up for it though and at least I made Frederico push the world record to take the title ahead of me.”

New Plymouth’s Ayla Dunlop-Barrett picked up bronze in the same event, also setting a new national record, with her 2:12.25 time erasing Natasha Hind’s 2:13.05 set last year.

Barrett’s teammate Georgina Toomey was close behind in fourth, with China’s Ying Lu setting a new world record in 2:09.03.

Toomey and her sister Julia also starred in the 50m manikin carry, picking up the silver and bronze medals respectively, while Buck added to his tally with bronze in the same event.

New Zealand finished the first day on 139 points, 26 in front of Italy with defending champions Australia another five points adrift. There are two days left of the pool competition, with the beach events starting on Friday.

Day 1 points: New Zealand 139, Italy 113, Australia 108, China 64, Germany 48, Sth Africa 46, Canada 40, Spain 36, Denmark 26, Poland 25.