Swimmer Lochlainn O'Connor wins bronze in Australia

TOP CLASS: Lochlainn O'Connor won a bronze medal against the best young Australian swimmers over the weekend. PHOTO/FILE

The rise and rise of Greerton swimmer Lochlainn O'Connor continues after the 15-year-old won a bronze medal at the Queensland State Champs.

Representing North Island regional team Aquaknights at an event of higher quality than the NZ Age Group champs, Lochlainn won bronze in the boys' 15 200m butterfly. After breaking his existing BOP record of 2:12.82 in the heats by swimming 2:08.23, he went even faster in the medal race - recording 2:07.04.

This is almost three seconds faster than Kane Radford at 16, almost identical to Moss Burmester at 17 and is less than two seconds off the great Danyon Loader's national record of 2:05.20 set in 1990. Loader went on to a silver medal in this event at the 1992 Olympics.

Lochlainn also set PB times in the 400m individual medley with 4:49.72 and in placing ninth in the 100m freestyle, where his heats time of 53.82 was also a BOP record, eclipsing the 54.43 of Carl O'Donnell who was a London 2012 Olympian.

Meanwhile, new assistant coach Gerusio Matonse took Otumoetai Swimming Club to a highly productive meet at the Bay of Plenty Junior Championships in Rotorua last weekend.

The club came away with 25 gold medals, won three out of four relays and had a
swimmer break two New Zealand records.

Tarquin Magner, 12, racing in the 12 and under age group, came away with a haul of nine gold medals and a silver. His New Zealand records were in the 100m freestyle
with a convincing victory in a time of 57.42 - a full one second faster than his previous PB of 58.34 - and in the 50m backstroke with a time of 29.56.

Liam Shanahan, 11, had an excellent competition, winning 11 gold medals and three silver
in his age group.

All 21 swimmers from Otumoetai swam personal best times, including Lily Pearce, 11,
Mia Gardiner, 12, Sam Cosford, 9, and Henry Scholes, 9.