Swimming: Visitors to test North's best

Northland is headed by a strong Northwave contingent.

Northland's top swimmers this afternoon begin three days of competition to decide who has bragging rights at the Douglas Logging Northland age-group championships.

From 4pm today, 180 swimmers will be putting their best stroke forward as they look to claim regional titles and gain qualification for national competitions.

Doing their best to claim top prizes will be a number of Auckland and Australian-based athletes and two Paralympians.

The Surrey Park squad from Melbourne has returned for the second successive year to compete at the championships, again coached by former Northland swimming star Mark Cooper.

The competition's largest representation comes from Whangarei Swimming Club, which has 29 competitors, closely followed by Bay of Islands Swim Club with 27.

Meanwhile 22 swimmers from the North Shore club will compete tomorrow, many of them top New Zealand Age Group swimmers who will no doubt provide motivation for Northland's swimmers to better their own personal best performances.

Also attending are Auckland clubs United, Kowhai, West Auckland and Papatoetoe.

Northland is headed by a strong Northwave contingent which includes top ranked New Zealand age group and junior swimmers Melita Raravula, Callum Prime, Ellie Eastwood and Mia Gordon, as well as Bay of Island's Jeremy Elliot, Whangarei's Sam Bailey and Bream Bay's Kieran Swords.

Their main goal will be to better the rigid qualifying times for the the New Zealand Junior Division 2, national Age Group, and New Zealand Open Championships.

Racing resumes at 9am on Saturday morning, followed by another session in the late afternoon beginning at 4pm.

On Sunday the swimming begins at 9am with a short break before the final session in the early afternoon.