Trojan Swim Club member smashes HBPB butterfly record in Auckland

Bianca van Zyl went to Auckland for more competition last weekend and the Twyford School pupil didn't disappoint as a Trojan Swim Club member. Photo / File

Schoolgirl Bianca van Zyl has shattered a Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay swim record that has stood for more than a decade.

Van Zyl, of Twyford School, stopped the clock at 30.94 seconds in the girls' 50m butterfly (long course) event for 12-year-olds at the Golden Homes Swimfest in Auckland last weekend.

"It's pretty exciting," says the youngster who had a personal best of 31.96s before she clinched gold at the Sir Owen G Glenn National Aquatic Centre.

She eclipsed the time of 31.10s which M Hiko had recorded in 2003.

In achieving the feat for the first time as a fully-fledged Trojan Swim Club member, van Zyl has qualified for the New Zealand age-group long-course championship scheduled for April next year.

"I was the only Trojan swimmer at the Auckland meeting because the rest of the members stayed here for a Hawke's Bay meeting," she said.

Van Zyl also claimed two bronze medals in the 100m butterfly and 50m freestyle races.

She met Olympian Lauren Boyle as well as Paralympians Sophie Pascoe and Mary Fisher.

The parent swimming body, HBPB, only recently accepted the registration of the Trojan club. Before that the members swam for Raumati Swim Club in Wellington thanks to Trojan coach Daniel Bell's connections with his Wellington club counterpart.

Trojan members swam for Raumati for the last time last month.
Van Zyl was part of the Raumati medley relay team who broke the Wellington girls' 13 record.

"I swam the third leg, which is the butterfly in the 25m pool."

She also collected a silver medal with the freestyle relay team and a gold with the flying squadron (10-person) team.

Raumati last won the flying squadron relay title in 1988.
"It was quite a nice way to say thank you to Raumati," says van Zyl.