Matt Stanley attains qualifying standard in morning heats

New Zealand swimmer Matthew Stanley. photo / Brett Phibbs

Matt Stanley looks to be on his way to Rio.

The 2012 World Short Course 400m freestyle bronze medallist booked an Olympic nomination time in the heats of the men's 200m freestyle at the New Zealand Open Swimming Championships this morning.

Stanley stopped the clock in 1:47.68 to better the Rio Olympic qualifying standard by some 0.29s.

Stanley will seek an even quicker mark in this evening's final and may also have half-an-eye on his two-year-old national record mark which stands at 1:47.09. Ewan Jackson (Howick Pakuranga) was the second quickest into tonight's final registering 1:49.22.

Fresh off winning his 12th national 50m breaststroke title last night, Los Angeles-based Glenn Synders advanced to tonight's men's 200m breaststroke final as the fastest qualifier, clocking a respectable 2:12.98. Should the 28-year-old North Shore swimmer earn an Olympic qualification time in the four lap event he will need to dip below 2:11.66 in the medal race tonight.

Also in action at the Sir Owen G. Glenn National Aquatic Centre on Auckland's North Shore, national record holder Nathan Capp topped the qualifiers from the heats of the men's 400m individual medley in a time of 4:24.43. The Greerton club swimmer will, however, need to better his best ever mark of 4:17.72 in tonight's final to achieve the testing Olympic standard of 4:16.71.

The 2014 Commonwealth Games representative Laura Quilter (North Shore) comfortably headed the qualifiers from the opening stanza of the women's 200m freestyle event, recording 2:02.86 from Samantha Lucie-Smith (Coast) in 2:03.62.

Just 0.07 separated the fastest two swimmers into tonight's women's 200m breaststroke final as 15-year-old Ellie Eastwood (United) recorded 2:40.10 to edge Mille MacDonald (Parnell) in the morning heats.