Swimming: Teen smashes records

Northland swimmer Hayley McIntosh won silver in the 16-year-old girls 800m freestyle race.

Northland Swimmer of the Year Hayley McIntosh has won silver at the Australian Age Group Championships in the 16-year-old girls 800m freestyle race.

Swimming the race in 8:50:76, Hayley took eight seconds off her personal best time recorded recently at the Swimming New Zealand Zonal Championships where she also placed second.

Hayley McIntosh

At the Australian competitions in Adelaide, McIntosh, who swims with Whangarei-based Northwave Club, missed the bronze medal in the 400m freestyle by only :06 of a second but her time of 4:17:90 broke her own Northland records in the heats and finals. Her sixth place in the 200m freestyle also broke her Northland records.

"Hayley's results would place her in the New Zealand Oceania Team but Hayley has her sights set on being selected for the NZ team to compete at the Youth Pan Pacific Games to be held in Hawaii," Northwave coach Monica Cooper said.

McIntosh took her inclusion in the New Zealand squad for the Australian competition in her stride, saying she was enjoying "living in the moment" - admittedly with an eye on the future.

"I would like to try get to the Commonwealth Games in 2018, and maybe the Olympics in 2020," she said when she made the New Zealand squad for the Australian competition. "I think it's achievable, it's just having to stay motivated and stuff."

Meanwhile, her fellow Northwave Club members competing at last week's NZ Opens were Ciara Smith (15) who won silver in the 50m breaststroke and bronze in the Women's 100m breaststroke, breaking the Northland Open and Age Group records in both events.

Annabell Simpson (15) set a personal best time in the heat and came 10th in Women's A final, 3rd in the Women's B Final 50m backstroke and 3rd in the Women's B Final 100m backstroke, breaking the Northland Open and Age Group Finals times in both.

Matthew Gordon (18) swam in the Men's B Final 200m individual medley (IM) and broke the Northland Age Group records in the 200 IM and 50m backstroke.

Mia Gordon (13) swam a personal best in the 100m breaststroke.

-Other Northland swimmers at the meet were: Bream Bay Club swimmers Isabelle Paton in the 50m and 100m breaststroke, Emma Wickham 50m butterfly, Keiran Swords 50m butterfly; Whangarei Club swimmer Euan Sapwell, 50m breaststroke; Nga Papahu's Nat Blud, men's 50m butterfly; Bay of Island's Neve Clapton in the Women's 50m backstroke.