Swimming: Kent and Co take medal tally to six

New Zealand swimmers yesterday continued their exceptional performances on the European legs of the short-course World Cup, gaining two further medals in Sweden.

Dean Kent and Helen Norfolk both claimed bronze in their respective individual medley events - the men's 200m and the women's 400m.

In the women's 100m backstroke, a fourth New Zealand record was broken during the two-day meeting in Stockholm, when Hannah McLean clocked 1m 00.08s in finishing fifth.

Her time clipped 0.03s off the mark she set in Paris last weekend. After the meetings in Paris and Stockholm, New Zealand's medal tally stands at two gold, both to Kent in the men's 400m individual medley, a silver and three bronze.

The New Zealanders head on to Berlin this weekend before returning home.

National coaching director Clive Rushton yesterday praised the performances they had posted in their two stops so far.

"It has been exceptional and it hasn't been just one-offs," he said.

"They are repeating good swims, coming back the second day and breaking more records and picking up more medals."

Rushton said Kent's victories, as well as his silver and bronze in the 200m individual medley, were not a surprise, but were satisfying nevertheless.

Meanwhile, McLean, Norfolk and Alison Fitch (who on Wednesday broke Toni Jeff's 11-year-old New Zealand record for the 50m freestyle) were "doing great."

"Hannah is pushing that [backstroke] record down almost every time she swims," he said.

"Helen is back to her very best after what was a disappointing year for her last year, and Alison is being very consistent."

Kent's swim yesterday was overshadowed by Australian star Ian Thorpe's victory in the event.

The Thorpedo gave a glimpse of his all-round skills by winning gold in his first competitive effort at the medley for six years.

Thorpe, who was just 0.05s outside the world record in winning the 400m freestyle on Wednesday, was trailing Britain's James Hickman after the butterfly and backstroke laps, but went ahead during the breaststroke and increased his advantage in the freestyle, finishing in 1m 56s.

Hickman was second in 1m 57.64s and Kent clocked 1m 58.08s.

Norfolk's bronze in the women's 400m individual medley came in a time of 4m 39.05s.

She was also seventh in the 100m individual medley in 1m 04.84s, after having gone 0.13s faster in the heats.

Fitch was fifth in the 100m freestyle, in 54.91s.

- NZPA