Swimming: Youngster finds Olympics tough going

1.00pm - By KEVIN NORQUAY

ATHENS - New Zealand's youngest Olympian in 28 years found out how tough the Games can be today.

Annabelle Carey, 15, trailed home last in her heat in one minute 13.12sec when she had hoped to swim three seconds faster.

The second-youngest New Zealander to compete at an Olympic Games after swimmer Rebecca Perrott in 1976, Carey came to Athens for the 4 x 100m medley relay.

One moment she was in Christchurch at the Wharenui Swim Club, the next it was the Olympic Aquatic Centre alongside superstars such as Ian Thorpe, Michael Phelps and Inje de Bruijn.

"She had no idea what she was going into, she is learning a lot as she goes," coach Todd Mason told NZPA.

"She was very relaxed going into the race, but once she got down there I could see she was very nervous -- she was on the world stage basically.

"She was gutted after that swim, because she thought she would go a 1min 9sec or a 1min 10sec."

Carey was watching the stars to see how went about their business and learning, Mason said.

She would be a better swimmer for the experience of coming to Athens, he said.

New Zealand has high hopes for the medley relay, which is ranked ninth in the world on times over the past year.

Backstroker Hannah McLean, butterfly specialist Elizabeth Coster and freestyle swimmer Alison Fitch are other members of the squad, which takes to the water on Friday.

New Zealand record holder McLean was shattered to swim below her best in the 100m backstroke heats today. She has yet to swim the 200m backstroke.

McLean, who came to Athens ranked in the world top 10 this year faded to sixth in her heat, clocking one minute 3.09 seconds.

She touched well outside her 1min 1.55sec best, a time that would have easily seen her into the semifinals.

McLean, 23, made the turn in second, then was swamped over the final 50m.

Cameron Gibson failed to qualify for the 100m backstroke semifinals, his 56.14sec good for 22nd. He did not threaten his New Zealand record, 55.39sec.

Rebecca Linton, a late entry, was 31st fastest in the 400m freestyle heats, in 4min 21.58sec. Linton, an 800m swimmer, has swum 4min 19.03sec over 400m.

- NZPA