Swimming: Short is sweet as team plunder gold

There were dozens of reasons for the New Zealand short course nationals to be memorable for the Northland team.

Well two dozen to be more precise.

Not only did the small team of six swimmers win 24 national swimming medals, but they also set 24 Northland swimming records at the week-long event in Wellington.

The Northwave and Bay of Islands club swimmers spent the first week of their school holidays at the NZ National Age Group Short Course (25m) Swimming Championships competing with 78 other clubs from around the country and including Fijian and Australian competitors. They met with outstanding success and returned with the biggest medal haul Swimming Northland has ever had at a national meet.

The three gold medallists in the team were 13-year-old Freyah Ruri, 16-year-old Melita Raravula and 15-year-old Daniel Gaualofa.

Ruri won six gold and four silver medals from her 10 swims including gold in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke, 50m and 800m freestyle and 50 butterfly. She swam personal bests in all 10 events as well as breaking 15 Northland short course records and was splits off three national age group short course records in the 50m freestyle, 50m backstroke and 50m butterfly. The Northwave swimmer's times were good enough for her to also qualify for seven 15/under A finals and two 15/under B finals and she also recorded eight national open qualifying times.

Raravula brought home six medals with gold in the 50m and 100m butterfly, silver in the 100m individual medley and 200m butterfly and bronze in the 50m breaststroke and 50m freestyle. She broke eight Northland records and qualified and swam in five Open finals and two 16/over A finals. Gaualofa's busy schedule of events in the Athlete with a Disability class left him with eight medals and an incredible 10 personal bests in four days. The Bay of Island swimmer's gold medals were won in the 200m freestyle, 100m breaststroke and the 100m IM, with silver in the 100m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 200m IM and 400m freestyle.

The other Northland swimmers also competed well with Northwave's Joshua Young swimming four personal bests including taking fifth in the 400m IM and breaking the Northland 13/under boys 200m IM record.

Bay of Islands's Haydn Jurisich qualified for eight events and swam six in the 17-18 year old age group, while 16-year-old Northwave swimmer David Van der Star swam a very good PB in his 50m freestyle event and was just off another in 100m freestyle.