Pan Pacific Swimming Championships Day 2 Wrap

Glenn Snyders scored a breakthrough bronze medal in adverse conditions on the second night of finals at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships on the Gold Coast tonight.

The 27 year old won the bronze medal in the 100m breaststroke, hanging on after a blistering first 50m that saw him lead the field. He held on to win in 1:00.18 to give New Zealand their second medal following Lauren Boyle’s silver medal last night.

New Zealand has only won multiple individual medals four times previously at the Pan Pacific Championships, which draws full strength teams from USA, Japan, Canada, Australia, the rest of the Pacific and other non-European nations.

The two medals so far from Boyle and Snyders equals the effort in 1995 when Danyon Loader won two and now chasing the three medals earned in 1989 and 1991 with four in 1993.

The wet and wild night ended on a high for the Kiwis with two national records set in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay.

Matthew Stanley produced a superb 1:47.09s to break his own New Zealand 200m freestyle record. He combined with teammates Dylan Dunlop-Barrett (1:48.98), Steven Kent (1:48.89) and Mitchell Donaldson (1:48.87) to clock 7:13.83 to break the previous national record of 7:14.05 set in 2012.

It was an important result for Snyders, who has not always delivered on his world class abilities in major meets in the past five years.

“This means a lot. It is a good feeling. It has been a long process and a long couple of years,” Snyders said.

“I decided to swim it to win it. The swim felt really good especially in those conditions. I died a little bit at the end which was to be expected.

“I wanted to go out as hard as I could. May be 27.70 was a little too fast but I felt relaxed and good – it was just that last 10 metres that I faded a little but it worked.”

Snyders said his form had been consistent over the past two months without managing a breakthrough result.

“It has been a tough two months of racing and my times have been quite consistent – about five or six swims under a minute point five. It shows the consistency is there. It is a good step towards Rio. It’s great to get a medal.”

The Los Angeles based swimmer said he was buoyed by Boyle’s medal-winning swim last night.

“I am inspired by Lauren’s swims over the last two years. She is the best swimmer in New Zealand and it is inspiring to watch her swim and took something from that. I watched and cheered her in the stands last night and I said to myself I could do it too.”

He will talk to coaches tomorrow but may even forgo the final of the 200m breaststroke in favour of a big effort in the men’s medley relay which is on the same night.

“If the team gets up it is the last race of the PanPacs and I think we can do something special and I may put that ahead of the 200 breaststroke.”

In other swims Samantha Lucie-Smith dipped under the 56 second barrier to finish seventh in the B final with Laura Quilter in eighth.

The women’s quartet of Lauren Boyle (1:59.51), Lucie-Smith (2:00.90), Samantha Lee (2:02.34) and Emma Robinson (2:01.83) were timed at 8:04.58 to finish fifth in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay.

Tomorrow’s third day features Lee in the 100m butterfly, Boyle, Lucie-Smith and Robinson in the women’s 400m freestyle, Stanley, Dunlop-Barrett and Ewan Jackson in the men’s 400m freestyle, Corey Main in the 200m backstroke as well as the 4x100m freestyle relays for women and men.

New Zealand Finals Results:

Men 100m breaststroke: Yasuhiro Koseki (JPN) 59.62, 1; Felipe Franca Silva (BRA) 59.82, 2; Glenn Snyders (NZL) 1:00.18, 3.

Women 100m Freestyle A Final: Cate Campbell (AUS) 52.72, 1; Bronte Campbell (AUS) 53.45, 2; Simone Manuel (USA) 53.71, 3.

B final 100m freestyle: Melanie Schlanger (AUS) 53.65, 1; Abbey Weitzeil (USA) 54.78, 2; Graciele Herrmann (BRA) 54.94, 3. Also: Samantha Lucie-Smith (NZL) 55.97, 7; Laura Quilter (NZL) 56.00, 8.

Women 4x200m freestyle relay: USA 7:46.40, 1; Australia 7:47.47, 2; Canada 7:58.03, 3. Also: New Zealand (Lauren Boyle 1:59.51, Samantha Lucie-Smith 2:00.90, Samantha Lee 2:02.34, Emma Robinson 2:01.83)

Men 4x200m freestyle relay: USA 7:05.17, 1; Japan 7:05.30, 2; Australia 7:08.55, 3. Also: New Zealand (Matthew Stanley 1:47.09, Dylan Dunlop-Barrett 1:48.98, Steven Kent 1:48.89, Mitchell Donaldson 1:48.87)

CAPTION: Glenn Snyders in action in the 100m breaststroke at the Pan Pacific Championships on the Gold Coast today.

The image is free for editorial use only. Credit: Delly Carr

Details: Live coverage of evening finals Sky Sport 3

Website: www.swimmingnz.org.nz or www.swimming.org.au/panpacs