Swimming: Sheeran nails it with a last gasp

By PETER JESSUP

Nicholas Sheeran's main aim in the 50m butterfly final at the national swimming championships last night was not to put pressure on himself in what was his last chance to qualify for the Commonwealth Games.

Less than 25 seconds later, he admitted a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders: he had qualified after missing out four times by a few hundredths of a second.

Sheeran, 24, has been the bridesmaid at these events more times than he likes to remember, failing to qualify for the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games and Sydney Olympics by similarly slim margins.

This year, he has twice been 0.04s of a second off the required mark of 25s flat for the Manchester Commonwealth Games - at the Auckland championships (also in the Waitakere Aquatic Centre pool) and at the New South Wales championships in Sydney. Twice he has been 0.05s short, including his semifinal on Wednesday.

Last night, he took one deep breath and made it halfway up the pool, feeling and thinking he was on target when he surfaced to breathe. "I swallowed some water and thought, 'Oh no, here we go again,' but I blacked that out and pushed on and nailed it."

His coach, Jan Cameron, told him he had floated home on Wednesday and after extra work on the finish he shaved the hundredths required and did 24.87s.

Old adversary Jon Winter was right behind in 24.91s.

Winter won the 50m butterfly national title from 1996 to 1998 and Sheeran won from 1999 to 2001, after Winter had "retired".

"It was good to have him there pushing me, but tonight it was about me and the clock," Sheeran said.

Two other swimmers who have already qualified confirmed their good form. Hannah McLean swam 0.23s slower than she did in her 100m backstroke semifinal on Wednesday but her 1m 03.14s was inside by 0.26s.

Cameron Gibson won the 200m backstroke in 2m 01.92s and can obviously cut that time as a bad start left him in fourth place.

Alison Fitch suffered a big disappointment, falling just short again in her last chance at the 100m freestyle.

Her last chance to qualify for the Games at 200m was leading off the relay leg for Auckland.

After a good start she did not swim well, finishing a body behind Helen Norfolk in an ordinary time.

Fitch has qualified for the 50m final tomorrow night, her last chance to get to the Games.

Sheeran's effort means eight swimmers are going to the Games.

He may be the last in, bar freestyle sprinter Vivienne Rignall, who is expected to qualify in Germany.

There must be concern that in some events, such as the the men's 200m freestyle and women's 200m breaststroke, New Zealand's best are a good four seconds off Commonwealth qualifying times and a further two to three seconds behind winning times.

The relays underline the lack of depth: the men's 200m winners were 40s off a Games time.