Swimming: Kent says faster time ahead after more acclimatising

3.00pm

Swimmer Dean Kent says he believes a bit more acclimatising could see him further improve his own New Zealand record for the men's 400m individual medley this weekend.

Kent today grabbed his second title in two World Cup meetings, winning the 16-lap race in 4min 9.00sec in Stockholm, Sweden.

The time beat his previous best of 4min 09.24sec, which was one of three New Zealand records to fall on the opening day of the two-day meeting.

New national marks were also set by Hannah McLean and Alison Fitch, with Fitch eclipsing a time set by Toni Jeffs 11 years ago.

Kent edged out Canadian Brian Johns by 0.21sec to take out the 400m individual medley, an event he also won in Paris last weekend.

After Stockholm, the World Cup moves to Berlin for the last of three European legs and Kent believes he can go even faster in the German capital.

"I think with a few more days' acclimatisation and rest, maybe up to half a second," he said.

"I'd really want to get down to the 4:08 zone. There's a few things I can do a bit better and come away with a performance that's a little more world-class."

Earlier today, Kent finished seventh in the 100m individual medley final in 55.93sec, after qualifying fourth in 55.63sec.

Tomorrow, the North Shore swimmer will compete in the 200m individual medley, in which Australian star Ian Thorpe is a likely starter.

"All going well, I'll be looking forward to another personal best time," Kent said.

"There'll be a world-class field there."

In the women's 50m backstroke, McLean finished sixth in the final in 28.47sec.

In the morning's heats, she had clocked 28.38sec to beat her own New Zealand record of 28.48sec.

Fitch's record came in the women's 50m freestyle. She ended last in the eight-strong final, but her time of 25.53sec shaved 0.01sec off the mark set by Jeffs in Paris in 1992.

Fitch also made the final of the 200m freestyle, coming fourth in 1min 58.10sec, two places ahead of Helen Norfolk in 1min 58.42sec. In the 200m individual medley, Norfolk was seventh in 2min 15.00sec.

- NZPA