Mighty Moss overpowers Aussies to take gold for NZ

Moss Burmester on the victory podium after taking gold in the 200m butterfly final. Picture / Mark Mitchell

Moss Burmester's timing was impeccable as he put a golden Kiwi stamp on the opening night of the Commonwealth Games swim meet last night.

The 24-year-old smashed the Games record when he produced the quickest 200m butterfly time of his life to win the gold medal and set New Zealand's campaign alight at the Melbourne Aquatic Centre.

The bespectacled Burmester clocked 1min 56.64s in a sensational display of power and control to blow away the race favourite, Australia's Travis Nederpelt. The old mark was 1min 56.95s set by Australian Justin Norris in Manchester four years ago.

Burmester, whose previous best time for the event was 1min 56.89s, is New Zealand's first Games swimming gold medallist since Danyon Loader at Victoria, Canada, 12 years ago.

The win continues a proud New Zealand tradition in the event. Burmester follows Dave Gerrard, Anthony Mosse and Loader who won the event at the 1966, 1986 and 1994 Games.

"It was the game plan to go out hard and come home hard," Burmester said last night. "I'd trained very hard for exactly that."

Head coach Jan Cameron suspects the Australians expected Burmester would start fast and fade, as had happened in last year's world championship race in Montreal. There, Burmester was on world-record pace before hitting the wall.

The only wall last night was the one Burmester erected round himself and it was impenetrable. He took Route One - no fancy tactics, just strong and consistent from start to finish in an utterly crushing performance.

He did admit the final 25m were tough.

"I was just feeling absolutely dead, but I was giving it everything on the way home because I knew I had to."

Burmester, ranked third in the Commonwealth and 13th in the world going into the race, was ahead of the field at the 50m mark and shut the door on his rivals.

Scottish swimmers won the first two golds of a meet Australia had assumed they would control. Burmester added to their misery. What Burmester didn't realise was that he had controlled the race from the first turn, led all the way and was over a second clear of Nederpelt and the third placegetter, Australia's Josh Krogh, when he turned for home.

Burmester, now training with the strong North Shore club after moving from Tauranga, remembered a tip he'd got from Mosse, who was in the stand watching.

"He told me to just keep my hips up and that will help bring me home. This is an awesome feeling."

Burmester was overwhelmed after the medal ceremony as his teammates assembled at poolside for an emotional haka.

"It was the most amazing haka I've ever seen and I hope it will inspire them as much as it did me."

The other New Zealander in the final, Andrew McMillan, finished fifth in 2min 00.61s, which considering he was just thrilled to be in the final was an outstanding result and added an extra touch of lustre to the race.

Cameron called it an expertly constructed race. It came after Nederpelt had given Burmester a beating in the morning heat, touching 2.51s in front.

As Burmester, draped in a New Zealand flag and carrying a fluffy kiwi, made his way round the pool, the gold hanging round his neck, he was greeted with hugs and high fives from teammates, friends and what the swimmer called "a big throng of Burmesters", including his mother Bronwyn, who received the flowers he'd been presented with on the dais.

New Zealand arrived in Melbourne quietly confident they were here to make a statement about their burgeoning swimming strength and last night Burmester delivered the message.

Earlier, Auckland's Nicola Chellingworth qualified for tonight's 50m butterfly final, having produced personal best times in both the morning heat and last night's semifinal.

Breaststroker Zoe Baker is into the 50m final and Scott Talbot-Cameron squeezed into tonight's 50m backstroke final, as eighth fastest qualifier.