World Swim champs - Day 5 Heats wrap
Thursday 29 March 2007, 5:52PM
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The Girls Credit:
Swimming NZ
New Zealand qualified a second relay team for next year’s Beijing Olympics in an otherwise quiet day in the pool on the fifth day of the Fina World Swimming Championships in Melbourne.
The Kiwi quartet of Helen Norfolk, Lauren Boyle, Alison Fitch and Melissa Ingram finished outside their medal-winning time in the 4x200m freestyle relay set at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games to miss out on tonight’s final.
But their time of 8:04.34 was the 10th fastest with the top 12 teams gaining automatic qualification for next year’s Beijing Olympics.
It proved an eventful contest with the USA team tactics of using substitute swimmers nearly back-firing as they scraped into the final by 1/10th of a second while the burgeoning Chinese combination missed out, finishing just ahead of New Zealand.
“It wasn’t great but they achieved the first milestone which was to qualify for Beijing,†head coach Jan Cameron said. “I told them they had a great opportunity this morning but they didn’t take it. But we have a team through and now have 16 months to get the right combination to do the job in Beijing.â€Â
National record-holder Helen Norfolk swim just outside her best with a 2:00.57 lead-off, followed by a 2:00.37 from US-based Lauren Boyle. Veteran Alison Fitch and North Shore clubmate Melissa Ingram both swim mid 2:01s, a second slower than they performed at the Commonwealth Games when they set the New Zealand record of 8:02.20.
“Their national record would have had them in the final as the fifth fastest so there’s real potential there.â€Â
Earlier teenage breaststrokers Annabelle Carey (Christchurch) and Glenn Snyders (North Shore) missed out on qualifying for the semifinals in the 200m, both finishing just outside their best times.
Veteran Dean Kent is the only New Zealand in action on the fifth night of finals when he contests the 200m individual medley. The 28-year-old North Shore swimmer qualified eighth with his major aim to go under the two-minute mark for the first time, missing by 2/10ths of a second in yesterday’s heat.
New Zealand results, day 4 heats, Fina World Swimming Championships:
(time and overall placing in heats)
100m freestyle: Lauren Boyle 56.03, 18th.
200m breaststroke: Annabelle Carey.2:34.31, 27.
200m breaststroke: Glenn Snyders 2:18.72, 38
Women’s 4x200m freestyle relay: New Zealand 8:04.34, 10 (Helen Norfolk 2:00.57, Lauren Boyle 2:00.37, Alison Fitch 2:01.62 Melissa Ingram 2:01.78)
For interviews contact: Mark Saunders, Team Manager, Tel 0061 437 078533
For further information: Ian Hepenstall, Sports Media NZ, Tel 0275 613181, E: ianhep@xtra.co.nz
The Kiwi quartet of Helen Norfolk, Lauren Boyle, Alison Fitch and Melissa Ingram finished outside their medal-winning time in the 4x200m freestyle relay set at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games to miss out on tonight’s final.
But their time of 8:04.34 was the 10th fastest with the top 12 teams gaining automatic qualification for next year’s Beijing Olympics.
It proved an eventful contest with the USA team tactics of using substitute swimmers nearly back-firing as they scraped into the final by 1/10th of a second while the burgeoning Chinese combination missed out, finishing just ahead of New Zealand.
“It wasn’t great but they achieved the first milestone which was to qualify for Beijing,†head coach Jan Cameron said. “I told them they had a great opportunity this morning but they didn’t take it. But we have a team through and now have 16 months to get the right combination to do the job in Beijing.â€Â
National record-holder Helen Norfolk swim just outside her best with a 2:00.57 lead-off, followed by a 2:00.37 from US-based Lauren Boyle. Veteran Alison Fitch and North Shore clubmate Melissa Ingram both swim mid 2:01s, a second slower than they performed at the Commonwealth Games when they set the New Zealand record of 8:02.20.
“Their national record would have had them in the final as the fifth fastest so there’s real potential there.â€Â
Earlier teenage breaststrokers Annabelle Carey (Christchurch) and Glenn Snyders (North Shore) missed out on qualifying for the semifinals in the 200m, both finishing just outside their best times.
Veteran Dean Kent is the only New Zealand in action on the fifth night of finals when he contests the 200m individual medley. The 28-year-old North Shore swimmer qualified eighth with his major aim to go under the two-minute mark for the first time, missing by 2/10ths of a second in yesterday’s heat.
New Zealand results, day 4 heats, Fina World Swimming Championships:
(time and overall placing in heats)
100m freestyle: Lauren Boyle 56.03, 18th.
200m breaststroke: Annabelle Carey.2:34.31, 27.
200m breaststroke: Glenn Snyders 2:18.72, 38
Women’s 4x200m freestyle relay: New Zealand 8:04.34, 10 (Helen Norfolk 2:00.57, Lauren Boyle 2:00.37, Alison Fitch 2:01.62 Melissa Ingram 2:01.78)
For interviews contact: Mark Saunders, Team Manager, Tel 0061 437 078533
For further information: Ian Hepenstall, Sports Media NZ, Tel 0275 613181, E: ianhep@xtra.co.nz