Glenn Snyders makes record-setting start to Wellington meet

Pan Pacific Championship medallist Glenn Snyders made a record-setting start to the New Zealand Short Course Swimming Championships in Wellington today.

The 27 year old North Shore swimmer clocked 57.67s to top the qualifying heats in the 100m breaststroke at the Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre in Kilbirnie this morning, with the championships also doubling as the qualifying event for December’s world championships.

The US-based swimmer went under his own previous record of 57.82 set at the FINA World Cup in Berlin in 2011, and was well under the qualifying mark of 58.55s to qualify for the FINA World Championships to be staged in Doha. It was the 11^th fastest time in the world this year.

Snyders was in a class of his own with Howick Pakuranga’s Jeffrey Arona-Tuifana’e second fastest overall in 1:01.57, making a welcome return to top level swimming for the former junior international.

Snyders’ fellow Commonwealth Games teammates Matthew Stanley and Samantha Lee were fastest in heats for the 200m freestyle.

Stanley (Matamata), who broke his long course 200m freestyle record in last week’s Pan pacific Championships, clocked 1:46.20 to head fellow Games teammates Mitchell Donaldson (North Shore, 1:48.72) and Ewan Jackson (Howick Pakuranga, 1:49.14) ahead of what should be a highly competitive final.

Lee (Capital) went 2:01.38 in the women’s 200m freestyle, ahead of clubmate Emma Robinson (2:01.77).

Kendall Reidy (Central Hawkes Bay) was fastest in heats of the women’s 100m breaststroke in 1:09.85.

Last year’s runner-up Nielsen Varoy (West Auckland Aquatics) topped qualifiers in the men’s 50m butterfly in 24.24s, just ahead of Steven Kent (Coast, 24.48) and former Olympian William Benson (Sundevils, 24.60) and 17 year old Bayley Main (Howick Pakuranga, 24.65).

Waikato’s Helena Gasson (Fairfield) was quickest in the women in 27.18s over 16-year-old Emily Rennell (Jasi) in 27.95, while 14 year old Youth Olympic Games medallist Gabrielle Fa’amausili (Roskill) was fourth fastest in 28.12s.

Tauranga’s Nathan Capp (Greerton) topped qualifiers in the 400m individual medley in 4:15.29 as well as qualifying strongly for the final of the 200m freestyle to make it a big night for the 21-year-old from the High Performance Centre.

Finals start at 6pm with the championships continuing until Saturday.

NZ Short Course Championships