Swimming: New guard arrive without splash

By PETER JESSUP

No fuss, no warm fuzzies, but it was the changing of the guard at the New Zealand swim championships at the Waitakere Aquatic Centre at the weekend.

Past Olympians Danyon Loader, aged 24, and Trent Bray, 26, have their best chance to make the Sydney Olympics in the relays.

Sprinter Toni Jeffs, 31, will be the oldest Kiwi swimmer at Sydney.

But the spark, and the bulk of the team, will come from the the 20-and-unders.

Loader admitted as much last night after bettering the 200m time he did in the individual during the 4x200 relay that wound up the meet.

No one has ever questioned Loader's ability.

It's the application, the mental side, whether he has the dedication to do the lengths following the thick black line down the pool that everyone wants to know about.

Loader was in a good mood after his efforts at these championships, admitting he had done little work and that it was refreshing coming in with no background, just to test himself and enjoy himself.

"I don't normally die like that at the end," he said in reference to having his first-up early lead cut down in the medley.

He said he still had the desire to prove himself - batting away questions about Australian middle-distance dynamo Ian Thorpe and whether he now considered himself an elder statesman in the team as Anthony Mosse had been for him when he came up.

"It's been a good test. I know what I'm capable of now.

"The qualifying period hasn't finished."

He is likely to seek to make Sydney 2000 at the Australian national championships next month, but he did not say that.

"It's good to strive for your best, it's good to push yourself to the limit, it'd be good to go over [for the Games]."

Which is more indication than Loader has given for a while.

He is looking relaxed and has the ability to do anything, albeit with 166 days to go.

Bray is also just off qualifying times in his favoured 100m and 200m freestyle events.

"It's a fair reflection on what I've done," he said of a drug test-affected build-up. He believed he could break 50s in the 100m free (Olympic qualifying 50.30s, Bray's Kuala Lumpur time 50.14s).

For national coach Brett Naylor, the question is whether the young guns have the belief in themselves, whether they see themselves as Olympic swimmers.

He knows they have a long way to go and is looking at Sydney more as a training ground and great opportunity for the future rather than a quick return.

There is no apology for the standards set.

"We want them to swim faster when they get there [Sydney]."

His recipe for success: "We've got to keep the good swimmers in the sport for another four years or more."

Plenty of the winners at Henderson won by five metres and more and Naylor wonders what they could do if pushed.

"They're green, as green as can be," Naylor said of his charges.

"But this Olympics and another Commonwealth Games and we'll be seeing the Anthony Mosses come through."

The swimmer of the championships was North Shore 16-year-old Monique Robins, who won two gold medals, a silver, a bronze and set two national open records.

Another highlight was Otago's Jonathan Duncan, coached by Duncan Laing, swimming solo to win the 1500m.

The Kiwi swim team for Sydney will be announced in late May.

Olympic qualifiers so far: Scott Talbot-Cameron, 200m backstroke, 2m 01.44s (Olympic qualifying 2m 01.60s).

Steven Ferguson, 100m breaststroke, 1m 02.91s (1m 03s)

Nikki Tanner, 200m backstroke, 2m15.04s (2m 15.30s).

Helen Norfolk (18) Canterbury, 400m medley, 4m 47.46s (4m 49.80s); 200m medley, 2m 17.35s (2m 17.80s).

Toni Jeffs (31) Wellington, 26. 03s (26. 05s)

Dean Kent (21) North Shore, 400m individual medley, 4m 22.32s (4m 24s)

Just outside: Monique Robins (16) North Shore, 100m freestyle, 56.70s (56.60).

Jonathan Duncan (17) Dunedin, 400m freestyle.

Liz Van Welie (20) Dunedin, 200m butterfly, 2m 16s (2m 14s).