Swimming: Tauranga clubs achieve outstanding results

The Otumoetai Swimming Club team at the New Zealand Short Course Swimming Champs. Photo / Supplied

Tauranga's top swimming clubs enjoyed outstanding results at the New Zealand Short Course Swimming Champs held in Wellington.

Greerton Swim Club finished 18th from 78 clubs nationwide on points with Otumoetai the next best Bay of Plenty club in 29th place.

In the Greerton lineup, Libby Bradley was the most successful individual swimmer. She won a gold in the freestyle relay, gold in the 50m freestyle, bronze in the 100m and 200m freestyle and bronze in the regional freestyle relay team. Bradley was also selected in the central zone team that competed against the other three New Zealand zones and finished second.

Calum Gilmour had three big personal bests (PBs) including 2:11.06 in finishing second in the 15-16 years final and a time of 16:50 in the 1500m free.

Blake Horne was 4th in the 1500m while Nathan Capp won gold comfortably in a PB 15:07.18. Blake picked up a 6th in the 200 back before winning bronze in the 13-14 years final. Claudia Capp was consistent and among several PBs she shaved 10 seconds off her best in the 15 year girls 400m freestyle in 4:26.96.

Other PBs were swum by Danielle Waiari in the 50m backstroke (30.52), Stacey Muir in the 100m fly, Islah Kerr-Aim in the 400m free (4:43.24) and Lucy Happe (4:43.01) in the 400m free.

Greerton swimmers also contributed to the bronze medal won by the BOP relay team and Greerton girls won the NZ Short Course 13-15 years 200m freestyle Relay. Otumoetai Swimming Club sent 11 swimmers who performed with distinction coming away with 22 top 10 placings including four medal winning performances.

Josh Pickett, 14, led the charge on the first day taking out the gold medal in the 100m breaststroke and Thomas Chaney, 13, won bronze in the same event. Pickett went on to achieve a further three top 10 placings in the 50m and 200m breastroke and 200m IM.

Benji Rowe, 13, was at his first senior national event and capped off a fantastic week by winning bronze medals in the 400m and 1500m freestyle. He was unlucky not to claim a third bronze medal in the 200m butterfly after being disqualified for a minor infringement off one of his turns.

Rhianna Maxwell finished the meet with five out of six personal best times and one top 10 finish in the 800m freestyle, while Ruby Matthews, 14, achieved four top 10 placings in the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke and 100m butterfly. Jessica Miller, 17, had three top 10 placings in the 400m and 800m freestyle and 400m IM and Samantha Carter achieved two top 10 placings in the 100m and 200m butterfly. George Culling, Daniel Barron and Damien Potts all performed well gaining numerous PBs.