Swimming: Swimmers bring home 13 medals

The Greerton Swimming club team at the New Zealand Short Course Swimming Championships. Photo / Supplied

Five days of intense New Zealand championship swimming came to end on Saturday at the brand new Sir Owen G Glenn National Aquatic Centre on Auckland's North Shore.

Ten swimmers from the Greerton swim team combined to finish 16th on points out of the 70 clubs taking part. Coach Tai Daniela had the team peaking perfectly, hitting Bay of Plenty records 16 times.

Three swimmers won podium places, with Lochlainn O'Connor (14) and Libby Bradley (16) making that visit multiple times, and Connor Farrell once.

Despite a large 13-medal haul, the team found gold elusive until the final day when O'Connor scorched through the 200m butterfly in 2:11.35, smashing the BOP record in both heats and finals by large margins.

Hours earlier he took another Bay record in 100m freestyle heats, winning silver in the finals at 54.79. The Bay 100m butterfly record went the same way in silver (59.67). O'Connor won bronze in the 200m freestyle, 100m medley (BOP record 1:02.61) and finally set a BOP record of 27.90 for 50m butterfly, placing sixth in that final.

Libby Bradley won bronze in the 200m freestyle, followed by a 34.34 BOP record-setting breaststroke bronze, which she reduced to 34.27 in the final. This was replicated in the 100m medley with BOP records in the heat and final for another bronze.

A 50m sprint record in 26.50 secured bronze, and an 800m freestyle medal followed, plus a 57.94 BOP record securing bronze in the 100m freestyle.

Connor Farrell (13) placed fifth in the 50m freestyle for a BOP record of 26.57, fourth in the 400m freestyle, and won bronze in the 100m freestyle in 57.87.

Danielle Waiari (17) set a new BOP record in the 50m butterfly of 28.98 in the heats, finishing fourth in the final. Top-10 placings were won by Tessa Bradley (15), Ella Browne and Ella Moor (both 15) in the relay combination, Cai Jager (15), Islah Kerr-Aim (15) and Mia Pugh (14).