Swimming: Swanepoel named for Melbourne team

Corney Swanepoel

Corney Swanepoel has been given a chance to get his international swimming career back on track.

The 19-year-old South African-born butterfly swimmer was yesterday named in the team for next year's Melbourne Commonwealth Games as a relay alternate. But the popular North Shore club member wants a lot more than that.

Selected on the basis of his time in finishing second to clubmate Moss Burmester in the 100m butterfly final at the national championships/Games trials which ended at the West Wave Aquatic Centre on Saturday night, Swanepoel wants to swim the 50m and 100m butterfly at the Games.

Hailed as an exciting young prospect at last year's Athens Olympics and the World Championships in Montreal earlier this year, Swanepoel failed to live up to expectations.

He has dealt with out-of-pool issues which have hindered his progress but he feels he is now on track to put that behind him, even setting himself a goal time (in the 100m) half a second faster than his personal best.

"I feel very confident. I have been through a rough patch and a form slump," said Swanepoel at the team naming yesterday. "It is important that I swim through it. Everyone has been cool and very supportive."

The interesting aside will be the battle between Burmester and Swanepoel for the butterfly spot in the 4x100m medley relay team which most see as a realistic medal chance.

That will go to whichever swimmer does best in the 100m butterfly final. Whoever grabs that slot will join Cameron Gibson (freestyle), Scott Talbot-Cameron (backstroke) and either Dean Kent or Glenn Synders (breaststroke) in an all-North Shore relay team.

Burmester is in no hurry to give up that chance.

On Saturday night, spurred by the vocal crowd, Burmester broke the longest-standing mark in the New Zealand record book when he clocked a slick 1m 56.89s to win the 200m butterfly final.

In going almost four-tenths of a second faster than Anthony Mosse's 1m 57.27s record, set at the 1986 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games, Burmester also dragged Otago's Andrew McMillan under the 2m 00.79s Games target.

"I know I can go faster. My sights are set on 1m 56s but more important is winning the gold medal," said Burmester, who adds moving from Tauranga to join Jan Cameron's North Shore squad has helped.

If team numbers convert to medals won, this team has a good chance of bringing home the goodies.

It is the biggest team sent overseas. The 18 named for Melbourne is one more than the team who went to Victoria, Canada, in 1994 and returned with four medals including Danyon Loader's 200m butterfly gold.

New Zealand had a team of 32 at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in the same pool at which the current swimmers have qualified and collected seven medals, including golds for Anna Simcic and Mosse.

Head coach Cameron and selection convener Clive Rushton are convinced the potential is there. They predict all swimmers will make their semifinals (top 16). They feel the five-medal target is realistic - but hint that it might be on the low side.

Games team

* Zoe Baker (Jasi, Christchurch), 50m breaststroke.
* Lauren Boyle (West Auckland Aquatics), 100m freestyle.
* Moss Burmester (North Shore, Auckland), 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly.
* Annabelle Carey (Aqua Gym, Christchurch), relay.
* Nichola Chellingworth (North Shore), 50m butterfly, 50m freestyle.
* Liz Coster (North Shore), 50m butterfly, 100m butterfly.
* Alison Fitch (North Shore), 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle.
* Cameron Gibson (North Shore), 200m backstroke.
* Dean Kent (North Shore), 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley.
* Melissa Ingram (North Shore), 200m freestyle.
* Hannah McLean (North Shore), 50m backstroke, 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke.
* Andrew McMillan (Neptune, Dunedin), 200m butterfly
* Helen Norfolk (North Shore), 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley, 200m freestyle.
* Daniel Sharp (West Auckland), 50m freestyle SWD, 100m freestyle SWD.
* Glenn Snyders (North Shore), relay.
* Corney Swanepoel (North Shore), relay alternate.
* Scott Talbot-Cameron (North Shore), 100m backstroke.
* Georgina Toomey (Jasi), 50m butterfly.
*Relays: women's 4x100m freestyle, women's 4x200m freestyle, women's 4x100m medley, men's 4x100m medley.