Melissa Ingram in sparkling form in Auckland Swim Champs
North Shore swimmer Melissa Ingram showed she is on schedule with a superb win on the third night of the Auckland Championships tonight.
Ingram, the Beijing Olympian who missed selection to last year’s world championships, went within a fingertip of the Commonwealth Games selection time in the 200m backstroke at the West Wave Aquatics Centre.
The 24-year-old clocked 2:11.62, just 11/100ths of a second outside the qualifying time for New Delhi, was thoroughly impressive given the heavy training load.
“That felt really good and quite strong,” Ingram said. “We’ve just come off a really big week of training and have this four-day meet on top of it, so I am really happy with that swim.”
Ingram also clocked an excellent 4m 14s in the heats of the 400m freestyle in the morning, but bypassed the final to concentrate on the 200m backstroke.
“We have changed things a little in my training and focussing on my speed a bit more.”
Fellow North Shore Olympian Daniel Bell also impressed in winning the men’s 200m backstroke in a slick 2:02.20 as well as winning through to tomorrow night’s final in the Rangitoto 50m backstroke elimination series against Wellington’s John Gatfield.
Corney Swanepoel and Moss Burmester, both from the International Training Centre, warmed up for next month’s Commonwealth Games trials finishing one-two in the 100m butterfly in 54.20 and 54.36 respectively.
Southland’s Natalie Wiegersma continued her impressive form in dominating the women’s 100m butterfly in 1:01.34, while Glenn Snyders (ITC) and Christchurch’s Beckie Dooley (Jasi) took out the 200m breaststroke.
Former Waikato swimmer Matthew Stanley (North Shore) swam 4:02.49 to take out the 400m freestyle with Beijing Olympian Tash Hind (ITC) winning the women’s final in 4:17.08.
Carl O’Donnell (North Shore) took out the men’s 100m freestyle in 51.88 while Penny Marshall (North Shore) upset clubmate and Olympian Hayley Palmer to win the women’s final in 56.80.
Tomorrow will see the final of the 50m sprint elimination series with Orinocco-Faamausili-Banse (Laser Mt Eden) to take on William Benson (North Shore), Palmer against Marshall in the women. Bell takes on Gatfield while Emily Thomas (North Shore) and Marshall will clash in the 50m backstroke finals.
The 50m breaststroke finals pit Snyders against Starn Simpson (Roskill) in the men and Dooley against Wiegersma in an all South Island affair in the women.
The 50m butterfly finals will see Swanepoel against Bell in the men and Wiegersma against Samantha Richter (North Shore)in the women.
The heats are from 9am and final from 6pm.
Full results: www.akswim.co.nz