Swimming: Snyders and Palmer finish fast second in heats

New Zealand swimmers moved into semifinals in four disciplines on the second morning of heats at the Commonwealth Games meet today.

Most impressive were breaststroker Glenn Snyders and freestyler Hayley Palmer, who finished second fastest qualifiers.

Snyders clocked 1min 01.30 to beat all rivals apart from Australian Christian Sprenger, who set a Games record 1:00.61.

Palmer, who withdrew from a chance to make the 50m butterfly final a day earlier, was in good touch in her 100m freestyle qualifying.

She covered the two lengths of the pool in 55.09s, inferior only to opening day gold medallist Alicia Coutts of Australia, who did it in .03s quicker.

Natasha Hind and Penny Marshall are also through to the semifinals early tomorrow, finishing 10th and 11th best overall, clocking 56.26s and 56.44 respectively. All three New Zealanders were outside their season best times.

Melissa Ingram qualified fifth fastest and national record holder Emily Thomas 10th best for the 100m backstroke semifinals, Ingram's 1:01.51 sitting her behind two Australians, an Englishwoman and a Canadian.

Thomas' 1:01.77 was well outside her national mark of 1:00.22, set last December. Had she done that time, she would have been quickest qualifier.

Daniel Bell and Moss Burmester also progressed to the semifinals of the 50m butterfly, in 9th and 11th places.

All have semifinals later in the day.