Swimming: Baker breaks own NZ record and qualifies for world champs

World record holder Zoe Baker broke her own New Zealand record and qualified for the world swimming championships to highlight the morning heats on the fourth day of the national championships in Wellington this morning.

British-born Baker, who recently switched allegiances to New Zealand, topped qualifiers in the 50m breaststroke, clocking 31.21 seconds, which was nearly a full second underneath the qualifying mark for July's world championships in Montreal.

It also broke her own New Zealand record of 32.54sec set back in 1997, and sets the Christchurch-based Jazi club swimmer to go closer to her own world record in tonight's preliminary final or tomorrow's final.

- NZPA