Northlanders focus on championships

Top Northland swimmers are at it again as they continue an extended taper into the New Zealand Open Swimming Championships in Auckland on Sunday.

Northland will have a team of five heading to Auckland to compete in New Zealand's top regional swimming competition.

Carrying the hopes of Northland will be 15-year-old Bay of Island's swimmer Daniel Gaualofa, who is ranked in the top five in six of his seven events.

Gaualofa will race in the athlete with a disability (AWD) category, with his best chance being in the 100m backstroke and 100m butterfly where he sits third in both.

He will also race in the 100m breaststroke, 200m individual medley, 400m freestyle, with Gaualofa being ranked fourth in all, 100m freestyle, fifth, and the 50m freestyle where Gaualofa is ranked sixth.

Northwave swimmer Melita Raravula, 16, has three top 10 rankings and another two top 20 rankings.

Her top 10 swims will be in the 100m butterfly, sixth, the 50m butterfly, seventh, and the 200m butterfly, eighth.

Raravula's top 20 ranked swims are in the 50m breaststroke, 12th, and the 100m breaststroke, 15th.

Fellow Northwave swimmer Freyah Ruri, 14, is 16th in the 100m backstroke and 20th in the 50m backstroke.

Other Northland swimmer ranked in the top 10 is 25-year-old Shane Smith, of Bay of Islands swimming club, who is ranked ninth in 50m breaststroke and 14th in the 100m breaststroke.

The other Northlander competing is 17-year-old Haydn Jurisich, of Northwave Swimming Club.

Whangarei's Cameron Leslie will also be competing at the nationals for his Auckland club, Laser Mt Eden.