Swimming: Teen's Olympic dream

Ellie Eastwood at the Northland Age Group Swimming Championships, 100m breaststroke, earlier this year. Photo / Tania Whyte

The Olympic Games could be only four years "and eight seconds away" for young Northland swimmer Ellie Eastwood who shaved seven seconds off her personal best to win gold at the New Zealand Swimming Open Championships 2016 and Olympic trials.

She's not the only swimmer from Whangarei to break personal best times and set new Northland records at the annual swimming champs which every four years also act as the Olympic Trials.

The 15-year-old won gold in the women's open 200m-breaststroke event, in a time of 2:35.07. Formerly from Whangarei club Northwave, earlier this year Ellie moved to Auckland for boarding school and swims for the United Club.

"I was surprised to do so well," the jubilant teen said after her gold medal win, but at the time still to race in the 200m individual medley and the 100m breaststroke.

The annual national competition has been a confidence builder, Ellie said.

"Looking ahead, I definitely want to swim in the Olympics and I can see now that four years away, and eight seconds off my time, isn't too much to aim for."

First, though, there are the Oceania Games in June and in the next couple of years she hopes for a scholarship to a US college - as has been the reality for other young swimmers currently overseas whom Ellie might otherwise have competed against this week.

Meanwhile, Ellie's good mate and good rival, Caira Smith, 15, from Whangarei's Northwave Club, tore through the women's open 50m breaststroke to take the silver medal (33:36), a new personal best and a Northland record, with Ellie coming in third for bronze (33:71).

Other Northwave current and former members doing well at the big national event are Annabel Simpson, 15, who didn't make the finals but broke the Northland record in the 50m open women's backstroke heats with her time of 30:83, Matthew Gordon, 18, Mia Gordon, 13, Callum Price, 16, and David van der Star, 19.

Northwave swimmer Hayley McIntosh, 16, is not at the NZ Open this year because she is with the New Zealand team competing in the Australian Age Competitions in Adelaide.