Lauren Boyle has had a great start to the State New Zealand Open Championships, first qualifying for world championships in the 400 freestyle on day one and then breaking her own national record in the 1500 freestyle on day two.
Boyle went a 16:16.83 which broke her own record of 16:20.47. The time is 10 seconds under the FINA A time qualifying for the world championships and is also the second fastest time done in the world this year with only American Becca Mann posting a faster time of 16:10.48.
“I have never really considered the 1500 as a potential medal event because I am such a novice at it, but if I can continue to work on it and keep improving at a similar rate it would be fantastic,” Boyle said.
“The key tonight was just relaxing because I did not have any time orientated goals so I just went in to enjoy it and I think that helped.”
On the first day Boyle made her first FINA A cut in the 400 freestyle swimming a 4:05.67 in the heats and won the final by four seconds, swimming a 4:06.39.
Boyle was not the only swimmer to qualify for the world championships on the first day, she was joined by Glenn Snyders, Sophia Batchelor and Matthew Stanley.
Snyders qualified in the 100 breaststroke swimming a 1:00.14 in the heats and than won the finals in a time of 1:00.20.
Snyders has made his main training base USC training under the direction of David Salo. He wasn’t quite sure after swimming yards so often what his times would look like when returning to New Zealand to compete, “Coming back from America the uncertainty was there. I don’t know exactly where I’m at in my training because everything is yards over there. But I backed myself and this morning it paid off,” Snyders said.
The 17 year old Batchelor booked her ticket to Barcelona in the 100 butterfly swimming a time of 58.84. After having a difficult year in 2012, missing out on the Olympic team, Batchelor made some changes which seem to have paid off,“There have always been people over the years saying that I would burnout, but I just proved them wrong. We’ve just had a change of coach so everything has been different in training, but change can be good,” Batchelor said.
Stanely qualified for Barcelona in the 400 freestyle by winning the event by almost four seconds in a time of 3:48.92, “I think I was a little bit slow through the middle of the race but it’s hard when you’re out there by yourself. I did what it took to qualify and I’m happy with that. I think by the time I adapt to the new training I can go a lot faster,” Stanley said.
Stanley followed up a strong 400 freestyle with a national record in the 200 freestyle on the second day of competition, swimming a time of 1:47.13 breaking his own record of 1:47.57.
“I’ve been trying to work on taking it out fast in training so I can mix it with the big boys at the world champs. I’ve been training as hard as ever, putting in the hard yards in getting ready for Barcelona,” Stanley said.
The second day saw one more addition to the Kiwi’s world championship squad with Gareth Kean qualifyied in the 100 backstroke swimming a 53.72 in the heats and winning the final in a time of 53.76, “It is a solid time similar to the morning and a time that I am not unhappy with. I have showed some consistency which is pleasing,” Kean said.
“I’ve had a shorter build-up after a long break after London and with some time at altitude, and this is really pleasing.
“I think that work at altitude should help me for the 200m and hopefully my speed with kick in.”
Another outstanding moment on the second day came from 13 year old Bobbi Gichard who won the 100 backstroke in a time of 1:02.61, which qualified her to swim at the junior world championships.
Full results can be seen at Swimming New Zealand
