Bradlee Ashby and Sophie Pascoe again stared on day two of the national short course championships, with Ashby setting a new open men’s record and Pascoe continuing her world record form.
In the first final of the evening session Ashby (Fairfield) burst out of the blocks and never relinquished his lead. Touching home in 1:55.30, setting a new open men’s 200m individual medley short course record. A record previously held by Dean Kent.
Ashby also took home a second gold medal, holding of a strong challenge from the Coetzee brothers, Corneille and Wilrich (North Shore), in the 100m backstroke final with a time of 52.39.
Sophie Pascoe (QEII) again showed her class by breaking her own SM10 200m individual medley world record in the morning heats before breaking it again in the final in 2:21.45. This follows the two world records she broke yesterday.
“I loved racing my favourite event (the 200 IM) and breaking my previous world record… Racing is feeling oh so good this week“, Pascoe said on social media.
Pascoe also set a new personal best time (34.97) in the SB9 50m breaststroke dipping under the 35 second mark for the first time.
Gabrielle Fa’amausili (United) showed she’s in great form as she builds towards qualifying for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Fa’amausili set a new national 17 years age group record in the 100m backstroke final with a time of 59.66.
Fa’amusili didn’t have it all her own way in the race as Bobbi Gichard (HPK) and Kyla Alexander (United) pushed her right through to the end.
Fa’amausili says, “three laps into the race I didn’t think I was going to win because I saw Bobbi and Kyla so close next to me but thankfully I just pulled away at the end“.
It’s not just senior swimmers excelling and breaking records but younger teens are also turning in top performances.
Brearna Crawford (MAGS) set a new girls 14 years age group record in the 200m Individual medley, beating the previous record by over a second with 2:16.15. Crawford was also 8th in the 100m breaststroke A final and 6th in the 50 butterfly A final.
Other age group records to fall today include, Tarquin Magner (Otumoetai) in the boys 13 years 100m backstroke. Magner’s time of 59.37 broke the record previously held by Corey Main.
Cantabrian Kaylee Jackson from the Jasi Swimming Club broke Annabelle Carey’s 16 years age group 50m breaststroke record set in 2005, in a new time of 31.58.
DAY 3 ‘MATCH UP’S TO LOOK OUT FOR’:
Men’s 100m Individual Medley – Wilrich Coetzee, Bradlee Ashby and Julian Weir
Women’s 50m Freestyle – Gabrielle Fa’amausili and Carina Doyle.
Women’s 200m Breaststroke – Bronagh Ryan, Cassandra Van Breugel and Helena Gasson.
The 2017 NZ Short Course Championships are held at the Sir Owen G. Glenn National Aquatic Centre, Auckland, from Tuesday 3rd October till Saturday 7th October. Morning sessions start at 9am with evening finals sessions starting at 6pm.
LINK TO RESULTS: swimming.org.nzLIVE STREAMING OF FINALS SESSIONS.
