Swimming: NZ team embarks on world champs campaign

New Zealand's top swimmers head to the United States this weekend for their final preparation ahead of this month's world championships in Montreal, Canada.

The championships take on extra importance for the 18-strong squad with strong performances fundamental as a stepping stone to success at next year's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

Only three New Zealanders have ever won medals at the long course world championships -- Garry Hurring, Anthony Mosse, and Danyon Loader, who scored three medals in the 1994 event in Rome.

Head coach Jan Cameron wants to see a New Zealander in a final or better, although the key is to advance world and commonwealth rankings, which means taking the powerhouse Australians on head to head.

There are a number of the New Zealand squad ranked from 20 to 35 in the world, and Cameron is keen to see them all climb the rankings to provide the platform for tangible rewards in the form of finals and medals in Melbourne next March.

New Zealand head to Montreal with star 19-year-old Corney Swanepoel currently ranked No 1 in the world this year over the 50m butterfly and third in the 100m butterfly.

The other main hope will be North Shore backstroker Hannah McLean, currently ranked 10th in the world over the 100m backstroke.

She was 10th in last year's world championships and filled the same position at Athens, and is looking to break into the top eight in Montreal.

There will also be considerable interest in the performance of current world record holder Zoe Baker in her first world championships in New Zealand colours since switching allegiance from Great Britain.

Her world mark of 30.57 seconds in the 50m breaststroke was set three years ago.

Her qualifying time of 31.21sec at the New Zealand Championships is the fifth fastest this year.

North Shore swimmers dominate with 13 in the 18-strong squad who leave for the United States in two groups this weekend bound for their final preparation camp in Knoxville, Tennessee. The world championships run from 25 to 31 July in Montreal.

* New Zealand swimming team:

Moss Burmester, Liz Coster, Alison Fitch, Cameron Gibson, Melissa Ingram, Dean Kent, Hannah McLean, Helen Norfolk, Corney Swanepoel, Glenn Snyders, Scott Talbot-Cameron, Te Rina Taite, Nichola Chellingworth (all North Shore); Annabelle Carey (Aquagym, Christchurch), Kelly Bentley (Capital, Wellington), Zoe Baker, Georgina Toomey (Jasi, Christchurch), Lauren Boyle (West Auckland Aquatics).

- NZPA