National Records from Erika Fairweather, Milan Glintmeyer Highlight New Zealand Champs
New Zealand records set by Erika Fairweather and teen Milan Glintmeyer highlighted the New Zealand Championships last week at Auckland’s National Aquatic Centre.
Fairweather went 1:55.06 on the second day of the meet to lower her national record. It also qualifiers her for the Commonwealth Games.
“I feel like that has been a long time coming,” Fairweather said. “I didn’t expect it to be tonight but I couldn’t be happier. I knew I had more to give going into that last 50m so I went for it and it was way faster than I thought.”
Fairweather also went 1:55.79 off the front of North Shore Swimming Club’s 800 free relay. She won the 400 free on the opening day of the meet in 4:01.42, a Commonwealths qualification time. Eve Thomas was second and Caitlin Deans third, both in Pan Pacific Championships qualification times.
Fairweather won the 1,500 free in 15:58.26, with Thomas second in 16:11.20, just .22 ahead of Deans. Fairweather’s is a Commonwealth Games time, with both Thomas and Deans headed to Pan Pacs. She added the 800 free in 8:26.12, both her and Thomas (8:29.99) hitting the Pan Pacs standard.
Glintmeyer is off to a fast start, the 17-year-old tying the 2009 super-suited senior national record of 1:00.22 set by Emily Thomas. Glintmeyer didn’t win the race, ultimately falling to Amber George’s 1:00.27 when Glintmeyer went 1:00.36 in finals. Both swam the Pan Pacs qualification time.
Glintmeyer also set the New Zealand junior record in winning the 200 back in 2:12.27. She showed her versatility by finishing third in the 100 free, third in the 100 butterfly and third in the 50 back, with Junior Pan Pacs times in all.
George won the 50 backstroke in 27.94, she and runner-up Savannah-Eve Martin qualifying for Pan Pacs.
The New Zealand men set the national record in the 400 freestyle relay on the meet’s opening day. Swimming for United Swimming Club, the quartet of Carter Swift, Cameron Gray, Lewis Clareburt and Zachary Dell went 3:14.07. Gray’s 47.81 on the second leg was the standout.
That quartet monopolized the first four spots in the 100 free finals three days later, Gray winning in 48.66, with Clareburt following in 48.83, Swift in 49.21 and Dell in 50.21. Gray was third in the 50 free, won by Harrison Klouwens in 22.32, a Pan Pacs qualification time.
Clareburt was excellent at the meet. He won the 200 free in 1:46.60, hitting the Pan Pacs standard. He swam the Commonwealth Games standard in winning both IMs. In the 200, he clocked in at 1:57.65. His 400 time of 4:09.27 dipped within .57 seconds of his national record. He also won the 100 fly in 52.69.
“It was pretty cool to dip under that 4:10. I haven’t been that fast in a long time,” Clareburt of the 400 IM. “That first 200 meters, I was starting to get nervous with Ariel right behind me. That’s what it is all about – youngsters like that absolutely going for it in that first 200 and put a bit of pressure on myself.”
The other standout was Ariel Muchirahondo, who set a pair of New Zealand junior records. He set the mark in the 200 IM at 2:00.17 to finish second to Clareburt. He added the junior mark in the 200 back by going 1:59.07 to win, and also won the 200 fly in 1:59.33. Those three times, plus the 3:54.04 he used to finish second to James Leigh in the 400 free and the 4:20.28 runner-up performance in the 400 IM to Clareburt are all Junior Pan Pacs times.
Olympian Hazel Ouwehand dominated the sprint fly events. She won the women’s 50 fly in 25.55 to hit the Commonwealth Games standard and the 100 in 58.00 to get under the Pan Pacs time.
Brearna Crawford swept all three women’s breaststroke events. Hara Hughes won the 50 and 200 breast on the men’s side and was second in the 100 breast.
Leigh added the 800 free title on the men’s side. Gray won the men’s 50 fly.
Georgina McCarthy did the IM double for the women. Chelsey Edwards sprinted to the win in the 100 free in 55.38 and the 50 free in 25.08.
The men’s sprints were intriguing. Jasper Cornish bested Kane Follows with a best time of 25.50 in the 50 back. Follows was also second in the 200 back to Muchirahondo. Follows exacted revenge on Cornish by .01 seconds in winning the 100 back in 55.42.