Auckland Kicks Off With Menu Of Stroke 50’s

2020 AUCKLAND C’SHIPS (NZL)

• Wednesday, December 9th – Sunday, December 13th
• West Wave Aquatic Center, Auckland, NZL
• LCM (50m)
• Olympic Qualifier
• Swimming NZL 2020 Olympic Games Selection Policy
• Psych Sheets
• SwimSwam Meet Preview
• Results

The 2020 Auckland Championships kicked off today with timed finals taking place at the West Wave Aquatic Center. The 5-day meet representing the first domestic Olympic qualifying opportunity for Kiwi swimmers.

Swimming New Zealand’s qualification criteria are rather broad for the Tokyo Games, with athletes merely needing to clock a qualification time beneath those listed below at any FINA-sanctioned Olympic qualifying event taking place between March 2019 and May 21, 2021.

Today was just a collection of non-Olympic 50’s, however, beginning with the men’s 50m breast. Taking the meet title was 22-year-old Josh Pickett of Pukekohe. Pickett touched the wall in a time of 28.12 to clear the field by over half a second.

In the women’s edition, it was 19-year-old Kaylee Jackson who got it done for the top prize, with the Jasi Swim Club athlete producing a mark of 32.89 as the only sub-33 second swimmer of the field.

Moving on to the men’s 50m fly, Ben Littlejohn logged a time of 25.10 to get to the wall a fingernail ahead of Chris Dawson. Dawson settled for silver in 25.12 to give 17 points to his Coast Swimming Club.

Hazel Ouwehand of Phoenix Aquatics logged a winning time of 27.74 to top the women’s 50m fly podium, followed by a trio of teenagers. Coast Swimming Club 16-year-old Aimee Crosbie snagged the silver in 27.72, while Laura Littlejohn (16) of St. Paul’s and Brearna Crawford (17) of Waitakere Swimming Club tied in 27.96 for co-bronze.