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SWIMMING

New Zealand swimmers prosper in heats at Singapore World Cup

Swimming New Zealand

Monday 3 November 2008, 7:20PM

By Swimming New Zealand

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New Zealand swimmers are through in 18 swims on the first night of finals in the FINA World Cup in Singapore overnight.

Several are in to more than one final in the fourth round of the seven-leg World Cup circuit. Melissa Ingram (SNZ High Performance), Daniel Bell (West Auckland), Natalie Wiegersma (Southland), Anneke Jenkins (West Auckland) and Brett Newall (West Auckland) have all qualified in two finals.

Others through to finals include Joyce Wiegersma (Southland), Charlotte Webby (Bell Block), John Gatfield (SwimZone Wellington), Mark Herring (West Auckland), Steven Kent (SwimZone), Matt Woodrow (SwimZone), Kane Radford (Rotorua) and Dylan Dunlop-Barrett (Bell Block).

Ingram, currently fifth overall in the women’s world cup standings, was third fastest in the heats of the 200m freestyle and fourth fastest in her favoured 200m backstroke where world record holder over 50m Sophie Edington has joined the competition this weekend.

Kent was third fastest in the 200m butterfly heats in 2:04.56 and Natalie Wiegersma an impressive second fastest in heats of the 200m individual medley, while Woodrow was third fastest in the 400m freestyle, the race he won at this meet last year.

The Wiegersma sisters produced a twin-like performance in the heats of the 200m freestyle with both Natalie and older sister Joyce qualifying with the same time of 2:02.94 for tonight’s finals.

Kent and Gatfield also recorded the same time in heats of the 100m freestyle to both qualify. However both scratched to set themselves for other more important finals in the 200m butterfly and 100m backstroke respectively. This allowed Bell through to the finals as the next fastest to join his West Auckland club mate and Olympian Mark Herring.

New Zealand results, day 1 heats, FINA World Cup, Singapore:

100m freestyle: Mark Herring (West Auckland) 49.51, 6; Steven Kent (SwimZone, Wellington) and John Gatfield (SwimZone) 50.57, equal8; Dean Bell (West Auckland) 51.09, 10; Kane Radford (Aquatx Rotorua) 53.22, 18.
200m freestyle: Melissa Ingram (SNZ HP) 2:00.70, 3; Natalie Wiegersma and Joyce Wiegersma (both Southland) 2:02.94, equal 7; Natasha Simpson (West Auckland) 2:05.73, 11.
100m breaststroke: Anneke Jenkins (West Auckland) 1:11.32, 6.
100m butterfly: Charlotte Webby (Bell Block, Taranaki) 1:02.58, 6.
100m backstroke: Gatfield 53.59, 4; Dylan Dunlop-Barrett (Bell Block) 1:01.07, 13.
200m butterfly: Kent 2:04.56, 3; Brett Newall (West Auckland) 2:05.77, 5.
200m individual medley: Natalie Wiegersma 2:16.83, 2; Jenkins 2:24.59, 6.
400m freestyle: Matt Woodrow (SwimZone) 3:53.84, 3; Radford 4:02.87, 6; Dunlop-Barrett 4:04.03, 7.
50m Freestyle: Simpson 27.85, 17.
100m individual medley: Bell 57.37, 7; Newall 58.58, 8.
200m backstroke: Ingram 2:16.96, 4.