Swimming: Kent grabs second NZ record to confirm top-ranked status

North Shore's Dean Kent established his position as the nation's top-ranked swimmer when he grabbed his second New Zealand record at the national winter championships in Dunedin last night.

Kent, 21, followed Wednesday night's record in the 400m individual medley with an equally impressive effort in the 200m medley. He sliced 0.31s off his own New Zealand record to win in 2m 00.31s, although he was slightly disappointed in not becoming the first New Zealander to go under the two-minute barrier.

He sparked another good night for the Olympic team. Scott Talbot-Cameron impressed in winning the 100m backstroke in 56.20s, while fellow North Shore clubmate Steven Ferguson cleared out to win the 100m breaststroke in 1m 01.64s.

Helen Norfolk, a record-setter on Wednesday, was superb in winning the 200m backstroke in 2m 09.89s and then crushing the field in the 400m individual medley in 4m 37.61s, 0.8s outside the New Zealand record.

Otago's Olympian Jonathan Duncan impressed when he cruised to victory in the 800m freestyle in 8m 05.72s.

Today's 100m women's freestyle final is shaping up as a superb duel between Olympians Vivienne Rignall (Parnell) and Monique Robins (North Shore). Robins, who will swim the 100m in Sydney, is top qualifier in 57.39s while Rignall, the national 100m long-course recordholder and 50m freestyle representative in Sydney, cruised home in 57.55s.

North Shore's Nick Sheeran, who narrowly missed Olympic selection, bounced back with a win in the 200m butterfly and an hour later rushed home from an outside lane to win the 100m freestyle in 50.79s.

The only concern was the form of Olympic selection Nikki Tanner from Auckland, who could only manage a disappointing fourth in the 200m backstroke, the event she has been selected for in Sydney. Tanner was also fourth in the national long-course championships five months ago, after setting an Olympic qualifying time at the Pan Pacific championships in Sydney a year ago.

- NZPA

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