Top 10 placings for all five in Gisborne team at swimming nationals

Every swimmer a top 10 placegetter ... Enterprise Cars Swim Team members at the New Zealand Age Group Swimming Championships (from left) Max Latu, Kaeto Sasamoto, Zyanja Rudge, Ruby Martin and Lola Stewart. Photo / Mina Sasamoto

A five-member Gisborne swim team had a 100% record for national open championship qualification and improvement in their rankings this month.

They were competing for Enterprise Cars Swim Team at the New Zealand Age Group Swimming Championships in Hawke’s Bay.

Head coach Matt Martin said the competition was tough.

“They were up against some incredibly quick kids,” he said.

“But all five of them moved up in their rankings, all five achieved finals and all five qualified for the New Zealand open championships in Auckland next month.”

However, they would not all be going to the Auckland event.

“The two boys will go, for experience. I have others going, but they’re a little older and weren’t at the age-group champs.”

Lola Stewart, 14, achieved third place in the girls’ 50m breaststroke and fourth place in four events – the 50m and 200m freestyle, 100m breaststroke and 200m individual medley.

Kaeto Sasamoto, 15, was fifth in the boys’ 1500m freestyle and sixth in the 800m freestyle.

Zyanja Rudge, 16, was fifth in the girls’ 100m backstroke and sixth in the 50m backstroke.

Ruby Martin, 13, was seventh in the girls’ 100m freestyle.

Max Latu, 15, was ninth in the boys’ 200m freestyle.

“It was meant to be a five-day event but bad weather meant the races set down for the last two days of competition were held on one day,” Martin said.

“They held the Saturday racing in the morning and the Sunday racing in the afternoon.

“I think our swimmers did even better (with the compressed schedule). Lola, Zyanja and Kaeto made top 10 in their events on the last day.”