2017 NEW ZEALAND OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Monday, April 3rd – Friday, April 7th
- Sir Owen G. Glenn National Aquatic Centre, Auckland, NZ
- LCM
- Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap/Day 3 Recap
- Results – Meet Mobile – 2017 NZ Open Championships
As opposed to the first 3 days of this year’s New Zealand Championships, day 4 rendered zero World Championships qualifying marks, although several swimmers came within striking distance. Helena Gasson, who already nabbed Budapest qualification times in the 50m butterfly and 200m IM, turned out another victory tonight, taking the 400m IM. 4:46.66 is what the Coast Club swimmer was able to throw down, but it wasn’t enough to capture the FINA A cut of 4:43.06. Gasson also won the 100m butterfly earlier in the meet, so the 22-year-old’s 400m IM victory tonight represented her 4th national title of the meet.
Bradlee Ashby also scored another win, taking the men’s 200m butterfly tonight in a time of 2:00.19. Splitting 57.35/1:02.84, Ashby led start to finish, able to hold off runner-up Shaun Burnett who touched less than a second behind in 2:00.98. A much swifter 1:57.28 is the mark Ashby would have need to add this fly event to his 200m IM qualifying mark achieved yesterday.
Teen Gabrielle Fa’amausili came painstakingly close to notching her 2nd qualification mark for Budapest, earning a winning time of 28.60 in the women’s 50m backstroke. She won the 50m freestyle yesterday to qualify, but today’s effort fell just .08 short of the 28.52 FINA A cut for the 50m back event.
New Zealand World Championships Qualifiers Through Day 4:
- Corey Main – 200 backstroke
- Helena Gasson – 50 butterfly, 200 IM
- Emma Robinson – 800 freestyle
- Matthew Stanley – 200 freestyle
- Sam Perry – 50 freestyle
- Daniel Hunter – 50 freestyle
- Gabrielle Fa’amausili – 50 freestyle
- Bradlee Ashby – 200 IM
Additional Winners on the Day:
- Natasha Lloyd doubled up on breaststroke wins, adding a 100m victory to her previous 200m title. Lloyd topped the women’s 100m breast field tonight in a winning time of 1:10.05.
- George Schroder scored the men’s 100m breaststroke win, touching in 1:02.31.
- The men’s 50m backstroke saw Bayley Main, who represents the University of Florida stateside, earn gold in 25.94.
- Charlotte Webby was the women’s 200m butterfly winner, finishing in 2:18.38 for the only sub-2:20 time of the field.
