KEY POINTS:
New Zealand's swimming campaign at the Beijing Olympics got off to a stuttering start, with neither 21-year-old breaststroke hope Glenn Snyders nor women's 400m individual medley swimmer Helen Norfolk able to make their finals.
Norfolk swam well below par and out of finals contention, finishing more than 5s slower than her qualifying time.
South African-born Snyders is regarded as a good prospect and was considered only a chance for the finals in Beijing.
Most judges think 2012 will be the best bet for him at an Olympics but he could not progress to the semifinals last night.
Norfolk, in her third Olympics, swam, 4m 44.22s, finishing last in her heat - although it was a fast heat, with the leader turning at 1.36s under world record pace at 200m. But, as is often the case with the medley, the breaststroke leg sorted out the field.
Norfolk was second - and herself under world record pace - after the butterfly but slipped back during the backstroke and quickly slipped to the rear of the field during the breaststroke and couldn't recover.
Her event was also notable for the first sighting of potential `golden girls' Stephanie Rice (Australia) and Katie Hoff (US).
Much has been made of this clash of the two camera-friendly women but Hoff drew first blood by being fastest qualifier, with 4m 34.63s, almost half a second clear of Rice.
Otherwise, the evening was overshadowed by US super swimmer Michael Phelps, who dominated the evening with an Olympic record after a crushing swim in his heat of the men's 400m individual medley, being fastest qualifier in 4m 7.82s despite not being seriously tested. That was over 2s clear of his own world record but Phelps streeted his rivals, even 2007 world championship bronze medallist Luca Marin (Italy), on the butterfly leg.
"I was pretty surprised about that [the record]," said Phelps. "I didn't think I would be first to get it, not until the finals."
His closest rival, countryman Ryan Lochte, swam in a much closer heat but returned only 4m 10.33s, over 4s outside his best.
The final this morning will see Phelps swim for the first of his eight targeted gold medals.
Ominously for New Zealand's best swimming hope, Moss Burmester, Phelps' butterfly leg looked composed and clinical.
He turned after that leg 0.1s under world record time and, although he slipped back a little on the backstroke leg, it was clear that he was not challenged.
His butterfly reinforced notions that Burmester may only expect a silver or bronze if he can force his way on to the podium. Burmester and Phelps have the heats of the 200m butterfly tomorrow night.
