Boyle blitzes competition in Dubai World Cup

Lauren Boyle employed different tactics to dominate the 800m freestyle at the final FINA World Cup in Dubai.

The double world championship medallist took out the 800m freestyle in 8:25.96 from Commonwealth Games winner Jaz Carlin (GBR) who was nearly five seconds adrift.

The New Zealand star led from the start and after a series of 32 second laps she went through the 400m in 4:18 with an advantage of only half a second from Carlin, German Sarah Koehler and two others.

Boyle then turned up the wick, lapping between one and two seconds faster per lap faster. By the 600m mark she had stretched her lead of nearly three seconds on Carlin and six seconds on the German as she crushed the field with an emphatic victory.

The Kiwi produced a stunning negative split to complete her second 400m in an impressive 4:07.

Earlier Boyle had finished fourth in the final of the 200m freestyle in 1:59.24, won by last year’s overall World Cup winner Katinka Hosszu from Hungary and Italy’s former world champion Federica Pellegrini.

Masterton’s Isaac Foote was the only other New Zealand swimmer to qualify for a final on the first day of the two-day meet, finishing eighth in the 200m butterfly in 2:00.27.

Day 1 NZ Results:

Women 200m freestyle: Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 1:55.41, Federica Pellegrini (ITA) 1:57.42, 2; Jaz Carlin (GBR) 1:58.45, 3. Also: Lauren Boyle (NZL) 1:59.24, 4.

Women 800m freestyle: Lauren Boyle (NZL) 8:25.96, 1; Jaz Carlin (GBR) 8:30.79, 2; Sarah Koehler (GER) 8:35.16, 3.

Men 200m butterfly: Viktor Bromer (DEN) 1:55.98, 1; Chad Le Clos (RSA) 1:56.03, 2; Zheng Quah (SIN) 1:56.26, 3. Also: Isaac Foote (NZL) 2:00.27, 8.

CAPTION: Lauren Boyle in action (Credit: Ian Macnicol)