Young talent on show at surf's pool champs
Sunday 4 October 2009, 3:09PM
By Surf Life Saving New Zealand
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Olympic stars may have been turning heads but it was the younger brigade stopping clocks in record times at the New Zealand surf lifesaving swimming championships in Wellington.
Titahi Bay teenager John Gatfield smashed the New Zealand record in the 100m obstacles swim, clocking 54.11secs to trim nearly 2secs off the old mark, leading home New Zealand teammate Steven Kent.
Another Wellington swimming prodigy, Lyall Bay’s Samantha Lee, had the fastest time in the 200m obstacles swim, despite competing in the under-19 division. Her time of 2mins 12.66secs was just 0.41secs outside the New Zealand open record and was nearly 2secs faster than Australian ironwoman champion Naomi Flood, who won the open division.
Their performances overshadowed record-breaking numbers at the championship, the visiting Australian development team and Olympic swimmers like Dean Kent, Daniel Bell and a rare foray back into the water by Danyon Loader.
Loader did his bit for defending champions Lyall Bay, who held onto the overall points title, with the Atlanta Olympics double gold medalist anchoring an all-star masters 100m obstacles relay team, combining with 1978 Commonwealth Games gold medalist Rebecca Perrott and SLSNZ boss Geoff Barry.
Retired medley star Kent, meanwhile, linked with younger brother Steven in the triumphant Titahi Bay relay team.
Both brothers have represented New Zealand at world lifesaving championships and Dean, now 30, said he was keen to put something back into surf now that his swimming career was over.
“I wasn’t very good for anything over 50m but we had some pretty quick relay times and it was great fun competing with compete alongside Steven and my cousins (Danny and Marty McDowell),” Kent said. “I’ve done nothing for a year so I’m keen to get fit again and get in shape to do some surf lifesaving over summer.”
Steven Kent was the dominant male at the championships, collecting individual titles in the 100m manikin carry, 50m manikin and 100m medley and, along with Gatfield, helping Titahi Bay claim three relay golds.
New Zealand captain Glenn Anderson also got in on the act, setting a new national mark in the 200m super lifesaver event and also winning the 200m obstacles, while his New Plymouth Old Boys mixed relay team won both of their events.
Anderson believed the Australian presence helped push the whole carnival to another level.
“When you’ve raced for New Zealand enough times, it doesn’t matter what cap you’re wearing when the Aussies line up against you - you’re going to try and beat them every time,” Anderson said.
Anderson said Loader’s involvement was one of the highlights of the competition.
“I watched him streamline off the wall and he was still incredibly flexible and was doing all the right things,” Anderson said. “It was great for the kids to be in the same pool as a double Olympic gold medalist and a real thrill for them to watch him in action.”
Lee also won the women’s 100m manikin carry, while New Zealand squad members Ayla Dunlop-Barrett and Julia Toomey each won individual titles.
Open results from Saturday and Sunday:
Open men:
100m obstacles: John Gatfield (Titahi Bay) 54.11 1, Steven Kent (Titahi Bay) 55.75 2, Michael Jack (Piha) 56.53 3.
200m obstacles: Glenn Anderson (New Plymouth Old Boys) 1:58.65 1, Michael Jack (Piha) 1:59.07 2, Steven Kent (Titahi Bay) 1:59.43 3.
50m manikin: Steven Kent (Titahi Bay) 32.11 1, Glenn Anderson (New Plymouth Old Boys) 32.66 2, John Gatfield (Titahi Bay) 33.26 3.
100m manikin: Downie Langthorne (Australia) 57.75 1, Glenn Anderson (New Plymouth Old Boys) 57.80 2, Michael Buck (Mairangi Bay) 59.19 3.
Line throw: Australia (Downie Langthorne/Kendrick Louise) 11.91 1, Titahi Bay (John Gatfield/Steven Kent) 13.16 2, Waikanae (Kurt Geiseler/Daniel Harris) 15.72 3.
100m medley: Steven Kent (Titahi Bay) 1:05.63 1, Glenn Anderson (New Plymouth Old Boys) 1:06.68 2, Downie Langthorne (Australia) 1:08.46 3...
4x50m medley relay: Titahi Bay (John Gatfield/Dean Kent/Steven Kent/Danny McDowell) 1:35.45 1, Australia (Downie Langthorne/Dev Lahey/Tom Rowles/Kendrick Louise) 1:37.87 2, Piha (Orinoco Faamausili-Banse-Prince/Alexander Franks/Michael Jack/Ellery Marsh) 1:41.14 3.
4x50m obstacle relay: Titahi Bay (John Gatfield/Dean Kent/Steven Kent/Danny McDowell) 1:40.24 1, Australia (Downie Langthorne/Dev Lahey/Tom Rowles/Kendrick Louise) 1:47.44 2, Midway (Corey Davis/Chris Dawson/Jack Gavin/Michael Janes) 1:49.12 3.
4x25m manikin relay: Open Men. Titahi Bay (John Gatfield/Steven Kent/Martyn McDowell/Danny McDowell) 1:33.10 1, Midway (Kingston Kennedy/Cory Taylor/Jack Gavin/Michael Janes) 1:37.80 2, Mairangi Bay (Bjorn Battaerd/York Pritchard/Michael Buck/Travis Mitchell) 1:38.33 3.
Open women:
100m obstacles: Ayla Dunlop-Barrett (New Plymouth Old Boys) 1:03.30 1, Naomi Flood (Australia) 1:06.48 2, Chantelle Cowlrick (Lyall Bay) 1:06.84 3.
200m obstacles: Naomi Flood (Australia) 2:14.23 1, Georgia Hind (Lyall Bay) 2:17.14 2, Jess Walker (Australia) 2:19.46 3.
100m medley: Samantha Lee (Lyall Bay) 1:18.82 1, Julia Toomey (Muriwai) 1:19.51 2, Ayla Dunlop-Barrett (New Plymouth Old Boys) 1:21.44 3.
50m manikin: Julia Toomey (Muriwai) 38.16 1, Samantha Lee (Lyall Bay) 40.29 2, Ayla Dunlop-Barrett (New Plymouth Old Boys) 40.48 3.
100m manikin: Naomi Flood (Australia) 1:04.65 1, Julia Toomey (Muriwai) 1:08.24 2, Emma McKenzie (Australia) 1:08.65 3. .
Line throw: Australia (Naomi Flood/Jess Walker) 15.34 1, New Brighton (Rachel Craythorne/Amy Bartlett) 15.37 2, St Clair (Stephanie Laughton/Elle Keogh) 15.87 3.
4x50m medley relay: Australia (Naomi Flood/Jess Walker/Alisha Miller/Natalie Glossat) 1:53.74 1, Lyall Bay (Georgia Hind/Samantha Lee/Kelsey Moffatt/Ellen Quirke) 1:55.45 2, Mt Maunganui (Katrina Madill/Chelsea Maples/Brooke Shergold/Anneke Jenkins) 1:58.38 3.
4x50m obstacle relay: Lyall Bay A (Georgia Hind/Samantha Lee/Kelsey Moffatt/Ellen Quirke) 2:04.23 1, Australia (Naomi Flood/Jess Walker/Alisha Miller/Natalie Glossat) 2:02.76 2, Omanu (Holly Boyle/Rebecca Heemi/Dannielle O’Connor) 2:05.29 3.
4x25m Manikin Relay: New Plymouth Old Boys (Ayla Dunlop-Barrett/Jamie-Lee Reynolds/Charlotte Webby/Rebecca Eaton) 1:53.32 1, Westshore (Megan Beattie/Danice Burn/Lydia Diver/Katie Moodie) 2:06.27 2, Muriwai (Rashidah Hudson/Courtney McConnochie/Emma Wilson/Julia Toomey) 2:07.30 3...
Mixed relays:
4x50m medley relay: New Plymouth Old Boys (Glenn Anderson/Daniel Bell/Ayla Dunlop-Barrett/Brydie Whitehead) 1:45.48 1, Lyall Bay (Ryan Cox/Gareth Kean/Chantelle Cowlrick/Sally Green) 1:48.19 2, Muriwai (Benjamin Stark/Andrew Whyte/Julia Toomey/Rashidah Hudson) 1:54.23 3.
4x50m obstacle relay: New Plymouth Old Boys (Glenn Anderson/Daniel Bell/Ayla Dunlop-Barrett/Brydie Whitehead) 1:55.22 1, Lyall Bay (Ryan Cox/Chantelle Cowlrick/Sally Green/Gareth Kean) 1:58.15 2, New Plymouth Old Boys (Sean Zieltjes/Grace McCullough/Rebecca Eaton/Jordan Morattti) 1:59.62 3.
6x50m mega relay: Waikanae (Tayla Lum/Britta Carroll/William Garrett/Ryan Jarvis/Laura Quilter/Nick Te Puni) 2:26.09 1, Westshore (Lydia Diver/Ryan Ennor/Benjamin Gillies/Daniel Gregory-Campbell/Katie Moodie/Annika Brennan) 2:21.07 2, Paekakariki (Nicole Trott/Thomas McCarthy/Mitchell Logan/Megan Blair/Kayla Imrie/Brent Harvey) 2:31.96 3.
Final points: Lyall Bay 1529, Waikanae 1256.5, Paekakariki 539, New Plymouth 471, Piha 420, Westshore 417.5, Mt Maunganui 352.5, Titahi Bay 302.5, Omanu 271, Midway 239, Papamoa 192, St Clair 169, Muriwai 138, Worser Bay 121, Mairangi Bay 117, New Brighton 114, Fitzroy 89, Orewa 51, Waimairi 49, South Brighton 29, Palmerston North 6, Riversdale 4.