Aquatics: Burmester misses podium finish

8.30am

MANCHESTER - Tauranga's 21-year-old Moss Burmester just missed a podium finish on the first day of swimming at the Manchester Commonwealth Games today.


In what is expected to be the Thorpeo Swim Show, there was an eventful start at the Manchester Aquatic Centre including a world record by Australian Ian Thorpe in his first start, the 400m freestyle. New Zealand-based English swimmer Zoe Baker also set a world record in the 50m breast-stroke.


However, the hosts almost matched Australia with England's Karen Pickering and Karen Legg getting away to a gold-silver start in the first final, the 200m freestyle.


Then Baker smashed the world record in the 50m breaststroke semifinal in 30.57 seconds. Australia were limited to three golds, a silver and bronze on the first night.


Swimming the fastest race of his life in his Games debut, Burmester, the No 7 qualifier, cracked the two minute barrier for the first time, finishing strongly in fourth place in 1min 59.94sec.


"I'm stoked," he said, adding that he believed he could push himself faster yet the event.


The race was won by Justin Norrish of Australia in a new Games record of 1min 56.95sec. Englishmen Stephen Parry and James Hickman picked up silver and bronze respectively.


Liz van Welie, in the first final involving New Zealand, also set a personal best, clocking 2min 17.04sec and coming a creditable sixth.


New Zealand had a good morning session with only Melissa Jane Ingram of the six starters failing to progress to the semifinals or finals.


Men's 50m backstrokers Cameron Gibson and Jonathan Winter improved on their morning session times but failed to make the final. Gibson finished sixth in the first heat in 26.98sec.


He said he had hoped "to go a lot better than that", but had a poor start "as usual".


Winter came eighth in 27.43sec and said it was a good warm-up for his favourite 50m butterfly tomorrow.


Hannah McLean in the 50m butterfly semifinal also bettered her morning session time but finished seventh in 28.21sec.


Dean Kent withdrew from the 200m butterfly.


Kent has been battling a throat infection for a week. He had warned earlier in the week he might pull out of the event.


His favourite event, the 400m individual medley, is on Friday.


Swim team manager Mark Saunders said the infection had improved and Kent had not missed a training session.


Melissa Jane Ingram came sixth in the 200m freestyle. Her time of 2 minutes 7.04 seconds was over seven seconds behind fastest qualifier Pickering.


- NZPA

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