Swimming: McLean and Coster make mark in Canada

New Zealand swimmers made a solid if unspectacular start to competition on the first day of the Pan Pacific championships in Canada yesterday.

Hannah McLean and Liz Coster led the way, finishing fourth and fifth respectively, in the final of the women's 100m backstroke at Victoria.

New Zealanders qualified for six finals, with Coster and McLean in an A final, while Helen Norfolk, Lauren Boyle, Melissa Ingram and Moss Burmester all contested B finals.

Head coach Jan Cameron, whose charges have had lengthy breaks following the Commonwealth Games in March, was satisfied with their efforts.

"Both Hannah and Liz had excellent swims tonight. On those times both are now in the top 10 in the world, which is great as we look ahead to the worlds next year and on to Beijing [2008 Olympics]," Cameron said.

McLean, the Commonwealth record holder, slipped into the final because each country was allowed no more than two entrants on A finals.

She showed big-race temperament with a splendid effort from the outside lane to finish in 1m:53s, seven tenths outside her national and Commonwealth record.

Coster, a finalist in the butterfly at the last world championships, took a full second off her personal best time in posting 1m:1.75s.

Ingram finished seventh in the 100m backstroke B final, while Norfolk was fifth and Boyle sixth in the B 200m freestyle final.

Burmester, the Commonwealth Games gold medallist, was fourth in the B final of his favoured 200m butterfly. He has only recently returned to training after a three-week holiday.

- NZPA