KEY POINTS:
BEIJING - Coach Jan Cameron expected the flood of world swimming records in the Olympic pool this week and admits it's getting tougher for her New Zealand team to keep up.
Glenn Snyders was the latest to illustrate the gulf between New Zealand standards and the rest of the world last night when he smashed his national 200m breaststroke record by nearly two seconds, yet only scraped into the semifinals as 16th-fastest qualifier.
"It felt awesome, it was really controlled over the first 100 and I gave it everything coming home," Snyders said.
He was scheduled to swim his semifinal this afternoon (NZT), just after compatriot Moss Burmester bids for a medal in the 200m butterfly final.
Cameron watched the swimming programme with mixed feelings this week.
Snyders was the fourth Kiwi to break a national record after Elizabeth Coster (100m backstroke), Helen Norfolk (200m medley) and the men's 4x100m relay team.
None of the latter three could make a final.
Meanwhile Cameron watched in awe as American megastar Michael Phelps carved 0.90sec off the world 200m freestyle record in winning his third gold yesterday, then cruised through less than an hour later as fastest qualifier in Burmester's 200m butterfly.
She said with a super-fast 3m-deep pool and technological advances with new swimsuits and training, the world was racing ahead.
"It (all the world records) hasn't surprised me," she said.
She was unsure how a small country - who produced double 1996 gold medallist Danyon Loader - could keep pace, even though they lifted their qualifying standards for Beijing which saw just seven individuals qualify.
"It's not just one Michael Phelps lifting up, the world has taken giant steps," Cameron said.
"It is difficult for us, to be honest. The resources that are being poured in at this level from countries that are succeeding are greater that what we're able to manage.
"I'm very grateful to (funding body) Sparc for what we get. The resources are greater and the pool of swimmers you can draw from is greater too.
"When you've got a four million population you can have one Moss, but if you're in America you can have a multiple number."
An example was Norfolk's 200m medley, when she cut 0.5sec off her own national record which would have been enough for a bronze medal in Athens.
This week it was 0.56sec outside the top-16 cut-off for semifinal spots.
Still, she was happy to marvel at Phelps, who she rated the best she'd seen.
"I've seen a lot of great swimmers; Dawn Fraser winning three gold medals at successive Olympics; you've got Grant Hackett who's won successive 1500m, another extraordinary feat.
"You've got Phelps, absolutely extraordinary athlete, really well coached, just fantastic. He has all the tools and he's using them all.... I haven't seen a better swimmer, no."
- NZPA
