KEY POINTS:
Young Olympic swimmers Daniel Bell and Orinoco Faamausili-Banse produced record performances on the first day of the FINA World Youth Championships in Mexico.
Bell (West Auckland Aquatics) broke the New Zealand Open record for the 100m backstroke while Faamausili-Banse (Laser Mt Eden) set a national age group mark in the 100m freestyle on the opening day of the championships.
Both showed they are in good form for Beijing where they will compete in the medley and freestyle relays respectively.
Bell, 18, won his semifinal to qualify for the final of the 100m backstroke. He clocked 55.62s to top his heat, but went even better to record 54.99s in the semifinal, which broke his own national open record of 55.26 set at the Olympic trials.
US-based teammate Kurt Bassett (Laser Mt Eden) was third in the same semifinal to give New Zealand a good chance of a podium in the final.
Faamausili-Banse, 17, broke his national age group record in the 100m freestyle, clocking 50.29s as the lead-out swimmer in the freestyle relay that finished seventh fastest but had to withdraw from the final after illness to one of the team members.
