Swimming: Kent primed for Games medals

By JULIE ASH

North Shore swimmer Dean Kent is on target for a podium finish at next year's Commonwealth Games after producing New Zealand's best performances at the world championships in Fukuoka.

Kent finished 10th in the 400m individual medley and 11th in the 200m individual medley, where he broke his national record twice.

He swam 2m 03.11s in the 200m individual medley heat, breaking the record of 2m 3.36s he set at the national championships in April. He then broke it again in the semifinal, finishing in 2m 02.85s.

His times in both events rank him in the top five in the Commonwealth.

North Shore swim coach Jan Cameron, who accompanied the team to Japan, said Kent was the outstanding performer in the four-strong New Zealand team.

"Dean moved up the rankings considerably," Cameron said. "New Zealand Swimming now call him a world-class competitor, which is when you reach the top 16 in the world."

Cameron said the aim for the New Zealand contingent was making the top 16 in their specialist events, and all except German-based freestyle sprinter Vivienne Rignall achieved that.

Christchurch's Helen Norfolk was 15th in the 400m individual medley and Dunedin's Liz van Welie 16th in the 200m butterfly.

Rignall, ranked ninth in the 50m freestyle going into the championships, finished 25th.

"We have to keep on trying to improve at a fast rate," Cameron said. "The rest of the world are improving as well, so we have to make sure we improve at a higher and faster rate.

"The people who are winning medals are mostly seasoned swimmers.

"The Europeans are competing against the best in Europe every month, as we are competing against the best in Auckland every month, and then maybe once or twice a year against the best swimmers in the world. You have to race against the best to improve."

National coach Brett Naylor said the team did as well as expected.

"With a few golds I would be even more pleased, but it gave us an indication of what's in store for the future.

"We now expect them to perform well at the national short-course championships in September. Then these athletes will go into building for the Commonwealth Games qualifying from January to May."

Naylor said the open team, who also competed in Japan, did well.

Scott Shepherd was sixth and Carl Gordon 16th in the men's 10km swim, while Kate Brookes-Peterson was eighth and Rebecca Linton 19th in the women's equivalent.

In the 5km, Shepherd finished fifth and Gordon 12th in the men's event, and Brookes-Peterson was 15th and Linton 17th in the women's.

"Scott's swims were tremendous, and Kate's eighth in the 10km was outstanding," Naylor said. "It is now an Olympic sport, so this event is setting them up for that."