Swimming: Winter on target for third Games

By PETER JESSUP

Two years ago Jon Winter was 100kg and exercise wasn't on his mind, let alone competitive swimming.

But last night, he resurrected his international career by qualifying for his third Commonwealth Games.

At age 30, he was aiming for the new 50m butterfly event rather than the 100m where he made his mark for six years from age 22.

It was day two of the national champs at the Waitakere Aquatic Centre, the venue where Winter watched his former New Zealand team-mate John Steel swim, aged 28, to a silver medal in 2000, before the Sydney Olympics.

Steel was there last night, blaming a new life with two toddlers for keeping him out of the pool, but beaming for his mate as Winter swam 24.95s in his semi-final in the 50m butterfly, 0.05s inside the Games qualifying mark.

The final is today and Winter is confident that he will go close to his national record of 24.64s set in 1998.

Hannah McLean was the other qualifier last night, shaving under the Games mark of 1m 03.4s for the 100m backstroke by just 0.59s.

McLean's North Shore team-mate Cameron Gibson was 0.01s off the Games mark of 26.60s in the 50m backstroke. He has another chance to better that time in the final and the time also bodes well for his specialist event, the 200m backstroke, both finals today.

Alison Fitch just missed out again on a Games spot, her 100m freestyle semifinal time 0.23s off the 56.30s needed. Next best was Toni Jeffs in 57.44s, but the 33-year-old decided that was her last swim bar the 50m finals.

Eight swimmers have bettered times to get a ticket to Manchester in July, but there has to be some concern about how far they can go.

National coaching director Clive Rushton has said that qualifying is just the start of the hard work and that better times will be expected at the Games in Manchester.

Rushton was pleased with Winter's effort.

Winter, the former green-haired wild man of the national swim team he first made in 1993, is now a reflective type, content with life as a coach in Hawkes Bay.

"He's going to be a voice of experience for us - the four best in the world are in his event and he may not be a medallist, but he will be a stabilising influence on the team," Rushton said.

Winter said coaching was a hobby that doubled as a job and that he enjoyed competition more now that there was nothing hanging on it.

"My lifestyle is good and before I swam I thought, 'Well, if I don't qualify, life is good enough not to worry about it.'

"But don't get me wrong - I know it's going to get tougher, I don't want to go over there and be a bunny."

His coach is partner Rebecca Sutherland, a national record-holder.

"She drives me in training and when I get home I have to do the dishes, so it's a bit tough at times. But I've got about 50 coaches poolside here tonight, so I'm thankful for the variety."