It has been a big few days for Whanganui’s team of 18 swimmers in “the Bay”, competing in the Hawke’s Bay/Poverty Bay Short Course Winter Champs.
For a number of the team, not only was it their first championships at such a large venue, but it was also their first introduction to a morning heat/afternoon final format.
The 11-year-old 50m Backstroke final with Whanganui competitors in orange caps: Molly Baskett (Lane 0), Ziva Bunker (Lane 4) and Sienna Andrews (Lane 7).
The team achieved 120 personal bests times throughout the meet and 16 of Whanganui’s 18 swimmers qualified for finals. The other two swimmers are both Provincial Squad members - Heidi Bennetts (8) and Wyatt Pui (10). Both Heidi and Wyatt achieved a PB in every event they swam.
Coach Richard Gheel gives a team talk before the first session.
Special congratulations to Whanganui’s 11 swimmers who attained 52 Top-3 placings between them: Ryleigh Dorricott (9); Sophia Kopu (8 ); Ziva Bunker, Paige Conley and Rachel Pui (7 each); Zoe Baskett (4); Sophie Bennetts and Lusia Smith (3 each); Lola Leport-Symonds (2); Lachlan Baskett and James Macpherson.
Wyatt Pui (10), Lachlan Baskett (9), Zion Tiraha (10) and James Macpherson (12).
Outside of the top placings, the following swimmers also achieved multiple personal bests; Harriet Aplin (8), Molly Baskett (7), Sienna Andrews (6), and Zion Tiraha three from four events.
Rachel Pui (centre, in the orange cap) is about to launch into the 13-year-old 50m Backstroke final.
Ziva managed to squeeze four new Whanganui short course (SC) records out of her last two days of being an 11-year-old. In the 100m Backstroke, over the course of the heat and final, she slashed another 2.8 seconds off her existing Whanganui SC record to finish in 1:10.99 (only 0.12 seconds outside of the Manawatu record!)
She touched in 5:03.37 in the 400m Freestyle which saw her eclipse Georgia Abraham’s previous SC record from 2017 by 12.4 seconds and her time of 32.68 in the 50m Butterfly was 0.2 seconds faster than another of Georgia’s SC records from 2017. Ziva also lowered her own 200m Backstroke SC record by another 1.9 seconds, finishing in 2:34.55.
Paige set two new SC Whanganui age group records in the 14 years age group, her time of 9:28.33 in the 800m Freestyle was 2.2 seconds faster than Elena Forlong’s previous record from 2013, and in the 100m Butterfly, she touched in 1:06.38 which was 1.2 seconds faster than Cheyenne Nightingale’s previous record from 2019.
Ziva Bunker touches 4 seconds clear of second place in the 11-year-old 50m Breaststroke final.
Ryleigh’s time of 5:41.42 in the 400 IM was also a new Whanganui age group record, inching 0.2 seconds off the previous SC record for a Whanganui 12-year-old that Cayden Earles set in 2018. Congratulations Ryleigh.
A huge thank you went to Coach Richard Gheel and to all the family members who helped organise and manage the team and officiate. Whanganui Swimming also thanks their long-standing sponsors, NZCT, David Jones Motors, and Haymans Industries.
