Swimming: Competitors value time off between meetings

By DAVE WORSLEY


The completion of the Auckland Open championships at Henderson will give many Olympic prospects a welcome rest after a long year of competition and training.

Dean Kent, Alison Fitch, Helen Norfolk, Hannah McLean, Corney Swanepoel and others had major meets in Melbourne and also Seattle in the past month, as well as the Auckland champs.

They now get a few days off before building up to the national champs in Auckland in March-April, which are effectively the Olympic trials as well.

On the final day of the Auckland meeting, several swimmers put in top performances.

Manchester Commonwealth Games finalist Hannah McLean was not far off her own national record of 29.29s in the 50m open backstroke, finishing ahead of fellow North Shore swimmers Elizabeth Coster and Melissa Ingram in a close race.

McLean finished in 29.76s, with Coster 30.19s and Ingram 31.77s.

Japanese star Sachiko Yamada led a triple of her countrywomen to the top three placings in the 800m 17-and-over freestyle.

Yamada finished almost a full three seconds ahead of compatriot Shigemi Yamaguchi, who was followed by Norie Urabe. Yamada also won the 200m freestyle.

In the 50m backstroke, Cameron Gibson went close to the national record of 26.23s with 26.88s. Ben Labowitch, from the North Shore club, swam a time which threatened Paul Kent's New Zealand record of 2m.17.70s in the 200m breaststroke.

Labowitch, 23, finished in 2m 18.22s, more than 3s ahead of Dean Kent.