Kent, Burmester chase World Cup performances

New Zealand swimmers Dean Kent and Moss Burmester will be looking to continue their strong form in the FINA World Cup in Berlin this weekend.

The pair will be joined by Corney Swanepoel (North Shore) and Wellington swimmers Stephen Kent (Watties Swim City) and Tash Hind (Capital) for the Berlin meet.

Burmester and Kent both qualified for next year’s World Short Course Championships with performances in the Stockholm World Cup earlier this week, along with Christchurch sprinter and former world record holder Zoe Baker, while Swanepoel and Helen Norfolk also qualified in the Sydney meet earlier this month.

“Moss, Dean and Zoe all swam strongly in Stockholm, but with more time to adjust and settle, then I am expecting improved times in Berlin,” said national coach Jan Cameron.

“We need top competition for our top swimmers, and with our US training venture called off, the World Cup meets and qualifying for the world championships are very important in our progression. The world short course championships will be a key stepping stone as we prepare for Beijing.”

Kent qualified for the 100m, 200m and 400m individual medley at Stockholm, finishing second in the 200m and third in the 400m.

This follows his excellent efforts in Sydney where he won the 400m and went marginally faster than his Stockholm performances.

Burmester swam 1:54.89 to qualify for the world championships in the 200m butterfly, although he was out of the placings but had earlier finished second in the 100m in 52.45s.

Swanepoel set his qualifying mark in the 100m butterfly in Sydney and will be looking to go under that time of 52.25s in Berlin.

Baker, now based at Bath University, finished second at Stockholm in the 50m breaststroke, the fifth fastest time in the world this year. She will bypass the World Cup to compete in the British University Championships this weekend where she will be joined by fellow Bath-based swimmers Cameron Gibson and Te Rina Taite.

Wellington’s Matt Woodrow has made his mark on the international scene when he won the 1500m freestyle in Singapore recently. He recorded a huge personal best of 15:27:85 to gain some valuable FINA ranking points.


Results:
FINA World Cup, Singapore:
Matt Woodrow (Watties Swim City, Wellington), 1500m freestyle 15:27.85, 1st.

World Cup, Sydney:
Corney Swanepoel: 100 butterfly 52.25 (World Short Course qualifying time).
Melissa Ingram: 200m backstroke 2:08.48 (WSC qual), 400m freestyle: 4:07.64 (NZ record, WSC qual).
Dean Kent: 200m individual medley: 1:57.43, 2nd (WSC qual); 400m IM 4:11.16, 1st (WSC qual).
Helen Norfolk: 400m individual medley, 4:40.68 (WSC qual).

World Cup, Stockholm:
Moss Burmester: 100m butterfly, 52.45, 2nd; 200m butterfly 1:54.89 (WSC qual).
Dean Kent: 100m IM 55.21 (WSC qual); 200m IM 1:57.57 2nd (WSC qual); 400m 4:11.81, 3rd (WSC qual).
Zoe Baker: 50m breaststroke 30.70, 2nd (WSC qual).