Boyle makes it four from four in Swimming World Cup

New Zealand swimmer Lauren Boyle made it a clean sweep of the distance freestyle titles at the final FINA World Cup in Dubai.

Boyle added the 400m freestyle victory to yesterday’s 800m freestyle win, to repeat the double from the previous World Cup in Doha.

The Kiwi star saved arguably her best until last, dominating the field to win the 400m freestyle in 4:04.26, which is only 0.6s outside her own national record set at the London Olympic Games and three seconds inside the qualifying mark for the Rio Olympics.

Boyle was in front at the 100m mark, one second clear midway, pushing out to a 2.5 seconds buffer at 300m and going on to win ahead of Hungarian Katinka Hosszu and Great Britain’s Jaz Carlin in the fastest women’s 400m freestyle time of the series.

Howick Pakuranga sprinter Daniel Hunter was the other New Zealander to qualify for a final on the final night, finishing fifth in the 50m freestyle.

Hunter clocked a slick 22.58s which was 21/100ths of a second outside the New Zealand record and 37/100ths of a second from the Rio Olympic qualifying mark.

Hosszu and South African Cameron van der Burgh each won the US$100,000 prize as over all winners of the FINA/airweave World Cup series.

Day 2 finals, Women 400m freestyle: Lauren Boyle (NZL) 4:04.26, 1; Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 4:06.97, 2; Jaz Carlin (GBR) 4:07.27, 3.

Men 50m freestyle: Bruno Giuseppefratus (BRA) 22.05, 1; Chad Le Clos (RSA) 22.22, 2; Anthony Ervin (USA) 22.27, 3. Also: Daniel Hunter (NZL) 22.58, 5.

Men 1500 Nathan Capp 10^th in 15:41.54.

CAPTION: Lauren Boyle on the podium at this year’s world championships. (Credit Ian Macnicol)