Swimming: Second gold not to be for flyer

Moss Burmester celebrates winning a bronze medal to go with his gold. Picture / Brett Phibbs

Bronze medals and personal bests for Moss Burmester and Hannah McLean gave the New Zealand team an encouraging start to the penultimate session of swimming finals last night.

Burmester just failed to add a second gold medal to his Games collection in the 100m butterfly after his early 200m triumph.

McLean, fifth fastest from the morning 200m backstroke heats, finished strongly for third.

Burmester chased hard but just failed to catch Brisbane-based Ryan Pini, who gave Papua New Guinea rare Games glory in heading crowd favourite Michael Klim.

"I knew those guys would be out quick," said Burmester. "I know my strength is in the back end of my race so I knew I had to be chasing them down.

"While my intention was, of course, to win gold, I'm still happy with a personal best 52.73s."

Corney Swanepoel, who showed an encouraging return to something close to his better form in finishing fourth in 53.14s, holds the New Zealand record of 52.49s.

In touching the wall just ahead of Swanepoel, Burmester also claimed the butterfly spot in the team for today's 4x100m medley relay.

Swanepoel took heart from his effort in which he improved from his morning 53.77s - seventh-best - to join New Zealand's growing list of fourth placegetters at the Games.

"It still kind of stings to be fourth, but it's the best I've swum in a very long time," said Swanepoel. "I could sense by the crowd it was close and maybe I could get up and get a medal."

Swanepoel admitted he is a front end swimmer, adding: "That's something I've got to work on."

Klim, gallant in defeat, quipped: "Have a look at him [Pini]. He's Australian as they come. He deserves it, he is a great guy."

The first world record came in the women's 100m breaststroke when local darling Leisel Jones broke the record she set in the same pool last month.

Jones headed yet another Australian one-two in swimming 1m 05.09s, which also broke the Commonwealth record she set in the heats.

England's Liam Tancock also claimed a Games record of 54.53s in shutting out previous recordholder and defending 100m backstroke champion Australian Matt Welsh.

The Australian women had a rare miss in the 400m freestyle in a race swum under world record pace through the early lengths.

Scot Caitlin McClatchey completed the 200m-400m double in edging home ahead of England's Joanne Jackson. Australian Bronte Barrett was third.

McClatchey's 4m 07.69s was 1/100th of a second off the Games record.