Two New Zealand swimmers through to A Finals at Junior Pan Pacs

Junior World Champion Gabrielle Fa’amausili and Wellington’s Lewis Clareburt led the way for the New Zealand swimmers on the opening day of the Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Hawaii.

The event in Maui has drawn full strength junior teams from USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and China as well as Pacific and other non-European nations, with swimmers between the ages of 13 to 18 years.

Clareburt, 17, from the Capital club, finished seventh in the 200m butterfly in a personal best 2:03.56, which was nearly a second faster than his morning heat performance.

Fa’amausili, 16, who swims for the United club in Auckland, was eighth in the final of the 100m backstroke in 1:02.39 which was faster than her morning swim.

Two other swimmers achieved B Finals on the first day.

Manawatu’s Mya Rasmussan, the youngest in the team at 16 years in June, was 15th in the 200m butterfly. The Kiwi West swimmer clocked 2:19.84 in the B Final, just marginally outside her heat swim.

Auckland’s Annabelle Paterson, 18 from the United club, was also 15th in the B Final of the 100m backstroke in 1:05.43.

Taranaki 16 year old Zac Reid finished eighth in the 1500m freestyle, in the timed final with the slow heat in the morning and faster seed times in the evening programme. The Aquabladz club swimmer was timed at 15:58.37.

Northland's Hayley McIntosh was also 15th in the timed finals of the 800m freestyle in 9:08.27.

The competition, in the outdoor facility in Kihei, runs until Sunday (NZ time).

Image: Lewis Clareburt in action. (Credit: BW Media)