Swimming: Heartbreak for Van Welie

SYDNEY - Dunedin swimmer Elizabeth Van Welie may end up being New Zealand's unluckiest non-Olympian this year.

At the Australian championships in Sydney yesterday morning, the 20-year-old Van Welie missed qualifying for the Games by the smallest possible margin, 0.01s, in the 200m butterfly. Her time of 2m 14.01s broke the New Zealand record she set at the recent New Zealand championships by 0.26s.

Van Welie, who clocked the fourth-fastest time of the morning, looked set to go under the Games mark during a powerful swim alongside Australian legend Susie O'Neill.

"She was a little slow out of the blocks but she really turned it on and it looked like she was going to make it," New Zealand coach Brett Naylor said. "But she just tired in the last 10 strokes or so."

Earlier this week, Van Welie produced a B-qualifying time in the 400m individual medley, but because team-mate Helen Norfolk has already qualified, she needed an A-mark, which she narrowly missed.

Naylor said there was only a slight chance he could negotiate dispensation for Van Welie when he discussed team selection with the New Zealand Olympic Committee.

"There's possibly a chance, but the stipulations are set in place for a reason. I'll go into bat for her but I have to go into bat for the others who have already produced the qualifying times. They aren't certainties to be selected yet either."

In other results yesterday, New Zealand's three 100m men's freestylers all produced reasonable efforts but were well off the pace set by the world-class Australians. Scott Cameron was 26th-quickest with 51.95s, while Brad Herring was 28th (52.11s) and Scott Talbot-Cameron 49th (53.48s).

- NZPA