Semifinal finish for Pickett at Olympics

A STRONG FREESTYLE: Enterprise Cars Swim Team member Michael Pickett swam in the semi-final of the 50 metres freestyle at the Youth Olympic Games in Argentina this morning. 2016 file picture

GISBORNE swimmer Michael Pickett needed to break his own New Zealand age group record to make the final of the 50 metres freestyle at the Youth Olympic Games in Argentina this morning.

The 16-year-old fell short, posting 22.98 seconds in placing sixth in his semifinal and 10th overall — the top eight advancing to the final.

The eighth qualifier clocked 22.85, 0.01 faster than Pickett’s national record.

Pickett qualified for the semifinals after placing third in his heat in 23.02, the seventh-equal fastest time of the 16 qualifiers.

Pickett, who is also competing in the 100 free, earlier in the Games broke the New Zealand 16yrs boys age group record in his lead-off swim in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay. He posted 50.77, shaving 0.04 off the time set by Aucklander Tyron Henry in July.

Meanwhile, former Gisborne girl Jesse Smith went agonisingly close to the podium in the women’s BMX racing.

The 17-year-old, who started her BMX in Gisborne before shifting to the Waikato, topped her semifinal runs but mistimed her start in the final and grittily clawed her way up to fourth.