The New Zealand Short Course National Championships will run from September 2-6th in Wellington. The competition is the country’s trials for the 2014 Short Course Championships.
The qualifying time for each event is posted below
| Male | Events | Female |
| 21.36 | 50 free | 24.52 |
| 47.21 | 100 free | 53.42 |
| 1:44.19 | 200 free | 1:55.89 |
| 3:42.19 | 400 free | 4:04.11 |
| 14:47.16 | 15/800 free | 8:24.20 |
| 51.46 | 100 back | 58.33 |
| 1:53.73 | 200 back | 2:05.69 |
| 58.55 | 100 breast | 1:06.06 |
| 2:07.23 | 200 breast | 2:23.69 |
| 51.42 | 100 fly | 57.84 |
| 1:54.17 | 200 fly | 2:07.45 |
| 1:55.43 | 200 IM | 2:09.13 |
| 4:07.38 | 400 IM | 4:37.62 |
On the third night of competition in Wellington Matthew Stanley qualified for his second event at the upcoming World Championships in Doha. He took the men’s 400 freestyle in a time of 3:40.46, tying his lifetime best from 2012.
He just missed the second oldest record in New Zealand’s history. Danyon Loader set the current mark of 3:40.46 in 1995, the only record older was also set by Loader who posted a 14:54.38 in 1992.
Even though Stanley has had some strong performances at the competition it is obvious that he has not been happy with how he has performed, “It’s been pretty annoying being so close to the New Zealand records and not getting them but hopefully I can swim a little bit better. I need to work on my stroke, it’s deteriorated a little over the last three months of racing but hopefully I will swim fast at worlds,” said Stanley.
Early in the meet Stanley won the 200 freestyle in a time of 1:43.99, a lifetime best, but was just off the national record of 1:43.77 set by Michael Jack in 2009. Stanley also expressed his frustration after that performance, “I’m pretty disappointed with the time; I probably would have liked to have been at least a second faster,“ said Stanley.
“I will have to assess and get stuck back in to training.”
The 400 freestyle is his third gold of the competition after taking the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke on day one and two.
Para-swimming’s Mary Fisher had a very good day, first breaking the 50 freestyle world record in the prelims, repeating that feat in the final and adding another world record in the 100 IM for good measure. In the prelims Fisher posted a 31.79 and went on to win the event in a time of 31.20. In the 100 IM she took the event in a time of 1:18.14.
That’s makes six gold medals for Fisher so far.
“It’s really exciting, it’s a PB and the world records are a bonus pretty much,” Fisher said. “Tonight I just worked on a couple of technical things in my individual medley and even though it wasn’t as straight, it was a good time so I’m happy with that.
“In the 50 free we had a lot of para girls swimming which was really exciting and it was cool to go fast in the morning.”
14 year old Gabrielle Fa’amausili taking the women’s 50 freestyle in a time of 25.08, beating her own age group record of 25.33 which she set earlier this year. Fa’amausili has had a successful summer, in addition to this record breaking swim she collected a bronze in the 50 backstroke at the Youth Olympic Games.
See full selection criteria here.
Men
Matthew Stanley – 200 free
Glenn Snyders – 100 breast
Women
None
