More success for New Zealand swimmers in World Cup

New Zealand swimmers enjoyed plenty of success on the second day of the FINA World Cup swim meet in Dubai.

Olympians Glenn Snyders and Melissa Ingram earned podium places while Christchurch sprinter Cameron Simpson broke a national record, and all three went under the qualifying times for December’s FINA world short course championships.

Ingram qualified second fastest in both the 400m freestyle and 100m backstroke, but opted to focus on the freestyle race in the finals.

The 27 year old, who was second in the 200m backstroke yesterday, was again second in the 400m freestyle after a close battle with Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu.

The national record holder, coached by Scott Talbot, was never more than a length ahead throughout the race before the Hungarian managed to outsprint the kiwi for the victory. She won in 4:04.43 with Ingram less than half a second behind but her time was well inside the qualifying mark for the world championships.

Snyders, third in the 50m breaststroke on the first day, went one better to finish second in the 100m breaststroke behind Olympic champion Cameron van der Burgh. Snyders, who like Ingram swims at the Swimming New Zealand High Performance Centre, was fourth at the turn but powered home to almost catch the South African.

Snyders clocked 58.42s which was also under the world championship qualifying.

Australian-based Cantabrian Simpson finished fifth in a hot final of the men’s 50m freestyle won by former Olympic and world champion Anthony Ervin (USA) in 21.18. Simpson, who swims for the Templeton club in Christchurch but is mostly based in Queensland, became the first New Zealander under the 22 second mark, clocking 21.69 which beat the new record set by Nielsen Varoy in Wellington this week.

The second of eight rounds of the FINA Arena World Cup is in Doha on Saturday and Sunday.

Results:

Men 200m freestyle: Darian Townsend (RSA) 1:42.71, 1; Robert Hurley (AUS) 1:43.37, 2; Tommaso Dorsogna (AUS) 1:44.65, 3. Also: Michael Jack (NZL) 1:49.17, 7.

Men 100m breaststroke: Cameron Van Der Burgh (RSA) 58.33, 1; Glenn Snyders (NZL) 58.42, 2 (World Championship qualifying); Marco Koch (GER) 58.90, 3.

Women 400m freestyle: Katinka Hosszu (HUN) 4:04.43, 1; Melissa Ingram (NZL) 4:04.91, 2 (World Championship qualifying); Darya Zevina 4:05.64, 3.

Men 50m Freestyle: Anthony Ervin (USA) 21.18, 1; George Bovell (TRI) 21.23, 2; Kyle Richardson (AUS) 21.58, 3. Also Cameron Simpson 21.69, 5 (World Championship qualifying, NZ Record).