Swimming: Gibson refuses to be denied

North Shore swimmer Cameron Gibson wasn't going to let a sinus infection and feeling miserable prevent him from gaining a place on the Commonwealth Games medal podium at the Melbourne Aquatic Centre last night.

Gibson, 23, feared the worst when he woke yesterday but pushed aside the infection to win New Zealand's fifth medal of the day with a determined swim in the men's 200m backstroke.

His medal made up for a brave swim but ultimate disappointment for top women's backstroker Hannah McLean, who flew out of the blocks to lead the 100m final for the first lap but faded on the way home, finishing 0.6 seconds outside her personal best.

But Gibson became New Zealand's first male backstroke medallist since Paul Kingsman in 1986 and 1990.

"I felt a whole lot better tonight than I did when I woke up this morning," he said. "I went to see the doctor and she gave me some bits and pieces and nasal spray and I felt a lot better."
He turned fifth on the first split but then worked his way ahead of Canada's Desmond Strelzow. He remained fourth until the home turn, well down on winner Gregor Tait (Scotland) who broke the games record with 1m 58.65s.

But Gibson fought his way past Nicholas Neckles of Barbados and even a close call with the lane rope couldn't deny his lunge for the touch. He was a little under his personal best with his bronze medal swim of 2m 00.72s, just 0.4s away from second-placed Johannes du Rand of South Africa.

A finalist in Manchester 2002 and the world championships in Montreal last year, Gibson said: "I kept a bit too much in reserve for the last lap. My third 50m should have been a lot faster."

He is a great mate of gold medallist Moss Burmester, one of the first to congratulate him at the poolside, and he said he had been inspired by Burmester's last 50m in the 200m butterfly.
Gibson's final, unusually, did not feature an Australian - but the Aussies made up for it when Libby Lenton won gold in the women's 100m freestyle, with compatriots Jodie Henry and Alice Mills taking out silver and bronze. Lenton, searching for six golds at these games, swam just outside her own world record (but broke Henry's Games record) even though she was pushed hard by Henry - and the roaring crowd.

It wasn't the only near-miss of a world record. Breaststroker Leisel Jones had the 200m world record in trouble for the first three laps but needed a bigger push on the last leg. She won by three seconds and might have smashed her own record in a tighter finish - swimming 2m 20.72s to be 0.18s outside the world mark.

Meanwhile women's butterfly swimmers Liz Coster and Georgina Toomey swum strongly in the 100m semifinal but could not qualify for the final.

Coster lowered her personal best by 0.13s to come fourth (with Toomey sixth in the same heat) but was ninth fastest, missing out on a finals spot by 0.11s.
 
-HERALD ON SUNDAY