Swimming: Kiwi bullet with butterfly wings

Moss Burmester underlined his billing as New Zealand swimming's top Olympic medal hope with another world class race in the 200m butterfly on day four of the trials at the West Wave Aquatic Centre.

After qualifying for the Beijing Games in the heats the previous night and setting a Commonwealth record in the process, Burmester easily claimed the national title in the finals yesterday.

But more importantly, and perhaps a better indicator of Burmester's potential, he won the seal of approval of someone who had been there and done it all before.

Watching on was 1988 Olympic medallist in the event and Burmester's idol, Anthony Mosse, who is back in Auckland holidaying with his family.

Mosse was the standard bearer for New Zealand competitive swimming in the 1980s and one of Burmester's heroes. Now based in San Francisco, where he works for a high-profile investment bank, Mosse managed to tack on a trip back to New Zealand after visiting Sydney on business.

His timing was fortuitous with his visit back home coinciding with the Olympic trials.

"The wonderful thing was of all the sessions I could make this was the only one, and I got to see him in the final and hand out his medal," Mosse said.

And he was impressed with what he saw in Burmester.

"He's incredibly consistent, when people require him to step up, he just steps up again and again," said Mosse.

Mosse has been a mentor of sorts for Burmester and takes a special interest in the 26-year-old.

There is a certain symmetry between the careers of Burmester and his hero. Mosse won gold and silver in the 200m and 100m butterfly respectively at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. Twenty years on Burmester topped the podium at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in the 200m fly, and won bronze in the 100.

A bronze medallist at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Mosse is backing Burmester to mirror his career even further by medalling in Beijing later this year.

"I'd love to see him on the dais - he's got the goods for it," Mosse said.

"It's not going to be easy, but he came through phenomenally well at the [last Commonwealths]. He knows what it's like to swim big meets _ he's got to be one of the most experienced butterfly swimmers in the world now."

Aside from Burmester, North Shore breaststroker Glenn Snyders was the only swimmer to make the grade for Beijing on day four of the trials.

After setting a personal best time in the 200m breaststroke heats, Snyders produced an incredible swim to shave another second and a half off his time and dip under the qualifying mark.

The 20-year-old had already surprised himself by qualifying for the 100m breaststroke earlier in the week and he admitted his time in the 200 exceeded his expectations.

"I thought I could give it a shot and I just felt awesome this morning," said Snyders.

Predictably, the powerful North Shore swim club dominated the medal haul on the fourth day. Helen Norfolk claimed two titles in the morning session, winning a tightly fought 200m freestyle final before taking out the 200m IM less than half an hour later.

Rotorua's Kane Radford (1500m free) and Taranaki's Charlotte Webby (200m butterfly) were the only swimmers from outside the North Shore swim club to win titles.