KEY POINTS:
New Zealand coach Jan Cameron will continue trying to convince swimmer Glenn Snyders to switch to the revolutionary full-body suit as the team try to shake off a disappointing opening night at the Olympics.
Snyders, in the 100m breaststroke, and three-time Olympian Helen Norfolk, in the 400m medley, both failed to progress from their heats at the 18,000-capacity Water Cube.
It puts the onus on New Zealand's top medal hope Moss Burmester to boost the team's spirits in tomorrow's heats of his specialist 200m butterfly.
South African-born Snyders finished seventh in his heat in one minute 00.98 seconds, 0.48sec outside his personal best and national record, and 0.27sec off a semifinal spot. His time ranked him 20th overall.
Cameron said she and fellow coach Thomas Ansorg hoped to twist Snyders' arm to switch to the new suit, which has seen nearly 50 world records broken this year.
"We're trying to get him to wear the full suit, we're working on him," Cameron said.
Snyders, who does not like the tight-fitting full-body suit because he feels it restricts his stroke, was considered a definite finals chance, having entered the Games with the 11th fastest 100m in the world this year.
The 21-year-old put his performance down to opening night jitters at his first Games.
"I can learn a lot from that, just bury my nerves a bit more now. I was pretty nervous going in, I can just focus on the 200m and just hopefully do a good time," he said.
"The first 50m was good, the second 50m, I don't know what I went out in but I definitely felt fatigued in the last 25m and I started to drop and the stroke started to shorten. I don't know what happened."
A personal best would have earned Snyders a semifinal spot in a tough field where five swimmers cracked the 1min barrier in the heats.
Norfolk was more disappointing in her specialist event in which she was ranked ninth four years ago in Athens. She was under world record pace in the butterfly leg, before finishing last, more than 5sec outside her personal best. Her time of 4min 44.22sec ranked her 24th.
Norfolk was 10sec behind heat winner Elizabeth Beisel, of the United States, who was the fastest qualifier in 4min 34.55sec.
"It wasn't quite where I wanted to be, it was quite a bit off my time," she said.
"I'm just looking ahead to the 200m, it's a shorter distance so not as much can really go wrong. If you're hurting you can still fight through it."
Cameron was at a loss to explain Norfolk's showing.
"It wasn't good, frankly, and she probably went a bit too hard at the front end. But we're trying to keep a positive outlook on it and just turn the page."
New Zealand team chef de mission Dave Currie said the swimming team would be disappointed with their "slow start".
- NZPA
