Swimmers bag 14 medals at champs

Northland swimmers swapped the taste of chlorine for success on the weekend as they came away from the Auckland Junior Swimming Championships with 14 medals.

The outstanding swimmers were 9-year-old Tai Murray from the Nga Papahu Swimming Club in Kaitaia and 10-year-old Ariel Kelman from the Whangarei Swimming Club, who won a total of 10 medals between them.

Tai brought home two gold, three silver and one bronze medal in the boys' 9 and under events, while Ariel won two gold and two bronze medals in the girls' 10 years section.

Tai was dominant in the breaststroke events, winning gold in the 100m and 200m and silver in the 50m event - his other silvers came in the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly, while his bronze was in the 50m butterfly.

Ariel won gold in the 200m freestyle and the 200m individual medley, with bronzes in the 50m and 100m freestyle.

The other medal winners were Samantha Bailey from the Whangarei Swimming Club and Heremaia Murray from Nga Papahu, who won two each.

Heremaia brought home two silver medals in the 100m and the 200m freestyle for 12-year-old boys, in the process qualifying for the New Zealand Age Group Champs in both swims.

Other Northland swimmers to finish in the top five of their events included Ellie Eastwood from Whangarei Swimming Club and Northwave's Ciara Smith.

The next major carnival for Northland swimmers is the Auckland Age Group Champs (for those 13 years and over) at the West Wave Aquatic Centre in Henderson from December 7 to 9.