Photo Courtesy: Simon Watts\/www.bwmedia.co.nz\/Swimming New Zealand<\/p>\n
WELLINGTON, New Zealand, September 3. NORTH\u00a0Shore swim star Glenn Snyders and Para-Swimmer Mary Fisher were on record-setting form at the New Zealand Short Course Swimming Championships in Wellington today.<\/p>\n
Snyders, who set a new national record in the 100m breaststroke yesterday, broke the 50m breaststroke record in this morning\u2019s heats of the championships at the Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre in Kilbirnie.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile Fisher, from the local Capital club, set a world record in this morning\u2019s heats of the 400m freestyle in 5:16.98, and went close to a second record in winning the 200m individual medley tonight.<\/p>\n
Snyders was pleased with his new mark of 26.58s, after coming just under the old time of 26.61s in setting the fastest time in qualifying in the 50m breaststroke.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was good. That was a New Zealand record, so a best time and anytime you do a best time is a good time,\u201d Snyders said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was good to back it up from last night. I was a little bit disappointed with the 100m final last night but that was a different day and a different swim.\u201d<\/p>\n
Snyders now heads to Singapore to compete at the Prudential Singapore All Stars meet where the top eight swimmers in the world in each discipline have been invited. He had to forgo the final in order to make his international schedule, racing on Friday and Saturday in Singapore.<\/p>\n
That left National High Performance Centre swimmer Jeffrey Arona Tuifana\u2019e (Howick Pakuranga) to pick up the 50m breaststroke title in 28.80s, while Kendall Reidy of Central Hawkes Bay took the title in the women\u2019s event in 32.23s.<\/p>\n
Like Snyders last night, Fisher was slightly slower in tonight\u2019s final of the 400m freestyle finishing in 5:20.10, but felt she was performing consistently.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a seven second short course PB for me in the 400m this morning so that was really good. It wasn\u2019t quite as fast this evening but that\u2019s okay, it was still quite consistent and I backed it up which was nice to do,\u201d Fisher said.<\/p>\n
She was just off world record time in the Para-Swimming women\u2019s 200m individual medley tonight, winning in 2:51.54, which was just 27\/100th of a second off her second world record of the day.<\/p>\n
However the Olympic and World champion is targeting three further swims this week where she believes there is potential for further new world records.<\/p>\n
In other swims tonight, it was the tightest of battles in the men\u2019s 200m individual medley with Commonwealth Games swimmer Mitchell Donaldson (North Shore) just edging out last night\u2019s 400m individual medley winner Nathan Capp (Greerton) by just 1\/100th of a second, winning in 1:57.66.<\/p>\n
Matthew Stanley (Matamata), who set a new national record in the 200m freestyle last night, stepped out of his usual choice of stroke to claim honours in the men\u2019s 100m backstroke in a respectable 52.19, followed by Michael Dai (Coast, 54.90) and Corneille Coetzee (North Shore, 54.91).<\/p>\n
In the women\u2019s 200m individual medley, Helena Gasson (Fairfield) was home quickest in 2:14.87 while Commonwealth Games representative Laura Quilter (North Shore) picked up the gold in the 100m backstroke in 59.27s over 14 year old Youth Olympic medalists Gabrielle Fa\u2019amausili (Roskill, 59.73) and Bobbi Gichard (Greendale, 1:00.32).<\/p>\n
Commonwealth Games representative Emma Robinson (Capital) claimed the 400m freestyle title in 4:11.74.<\/p>\n
Jesse Reynolds (Fairfield) picked up the gold in the men\u2019s Para-Swimming 200m individual medley and 100m backstroke while Rebecca Dubber (North Shore) claimed the women\u2019s 100m backstroke title. Hamish McLean won the 50m breaststroke in 53.56s.<\/p>\n
The championships continue until Saturday with morning sessions from 9am and finals from 6pm each day.<\/p>\n