Swimming: Burmester misses out on final

Moss Burmester. Photo / Bay of Plenty Times

Defending champion Moss Burmester has missed out on a place in the 200m butterfly final at the Commonwealth Games.

Burmester, who has been off his best form for much of the last year, was third in his heat in 1min 58.93 and ended 10th overall. He was .52s off a place in the final. The eight fastest will contest tonight's shootout.

"I felt like I was going faster than I was,'' a downcast Burmester said.
"It's very disappointing."

However there was good news elsewhere for the New Zealand contingent on the first morning of heats.

Freestyler Lauren Boyle and individual medley specialist Natalie Wiegersma are through to tonight's finals, while backstrokers Gareth Kean and Daniel Bell advanced to tonight's semifinals in the 50m event, and Hayley Palmer is still alive in the 50m butterfly and will also swim her semifinal tonight.

Boyle was third fastest overall in 1min 59.33, behind a brace of Australians, Kylie Palmer and Blair Evans.

"It was a little over my best time but I'm still happy. It's good to finally be here and get into action," Boyle said.

Wiegersma was fifth fastest in the 200m IM in 2:15.45, almost three seconds slower than her season best, and national record.

Kean was fifth fastest overall, and Bell sixth best in the 50m backstroke - Kean in a personal best 25.80 - while Palmer's 27.16 was her pb in the 50m butterfly and had her seventh quickest overall.