Ingram, Snyders gain World Cup swim victories in Stockholm

New Zealand swimmers Melissa Ingram and Glenn Snyders both scored outstanding wins as the FINA World Cup moved to Europe today.

Ingram won the women’s 200m backstroke in an emphatic performance while Snyders broke the New Zealand short course record in winning the 50m breaststroke on the first day of competition in Stockholm.

The North Shore pair are competing in all rounds of the FINA Arena World Cup that comprises eight two-day short course meets in Dubai and Doha before moving to Stockholm, Moscow and Berlin and finishing in Asia with three rounds in Beijing, Tokyo and Singapore.

Ingram, who topped the qualifiers, led from the start with an even paced race to win in 2:04.84, nearly three seconds clear of Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu (Hungary). It was her fastest time of the series so far.

Snyders was the class performer today, edging out Brazil’s Junior Gomes to the touch in the final in 26.61, which broke the national record he set in Doha.

The pair, part of Swimming New Zealand’s High Performance Centre, had four podium finishes each before their first victories today.

Day 1 results:

50m breaststroke: Glenn Snyders (NZL) 26.61, 1; Junior Gomes (BRA) 26.69, 2; Aleksander Hetland (NOR) 26.83, 3.

200m backstroke: Melissa Ingram (NZ) 2:04.84, 1; Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 2:07.44, 2; Zsuzsanna Jakabos (HUN) 2:07.71, 3.