Backstroke duo make Games final

Daneil Bell. Photo / Getty Images

For backstroker Daniel Bell the equation is simple: break his New Zealand record and he's in with a big medal chance at the Commonwealth Games tonight.

Bell and fellow sprinter Gareth Kean have both qualified for the 50m backstroke final, as fifth and seventh fastest qualifiers respectively.

Bell, having reversed their finishing order from yesterday morning's heat in last night's semifinals, clocked 25.44s in his semi, .20s off his national mark. Wellingtonian Kean recorded 25.87.

The Australian trio of Ashley Delaney, Hayden Stoeckel and Daniel Arnamnart are the three fastest qualifiers, but Hawkes Bay 20-year-old Bell is upbeat about his chances of putting a spanner in the green and gold works.

"There's definitely more in the tank," he said.

"I'm not fully satisfied and I've got to get faster if I want a medal."

He knows he's got to be smart off the wall, figures he can shave some hundredths off in the 10m to 25m mark and hopes that extra speed will help hurry him down the lane in the second half.

"I was .04s slower than I went (earlier) this year. If I can get under that, and hopefully break my New Zealand record, hopefully that'll be enough for a medal."

Hayley Palmer had the chance to squeeze into the 50m butterfly final last night, but opted out.

The English-born North Shore swimmer was equal eighth fastest in the semifinals, finishing on 27.14s, the same as England's Ella Gandy. That meant a swim off for the last spot in the final, but Palmer chose to withdraw.

It is not her favoured event; she's the national record holder in the 50 and 100m freestyle, and the longer distance event of those two is on late this afternoon.

The roughest experience of the opening finals session fell to Invercargill's Natalie Wiegersma, who was pipped for bronze in the 200m individual medley by a mere .03s.

Wiegersma, dipping her toes in the Games waters for the first time, was in the first three up and down the first three legs only to be nailed a few strokes from the finishing wall by Canadian Julia Wilkinson.

Wiegersma clocked 2:12.12; Wilkinson 2:12.09. It was a tough break and Wiegersma dissolved in tears after emerging from the pool.

She still has her preferred 400m IM to come next Saturday.

Her time last night shaved .26s off her own national record. Talk about cold comfort.

Eight New Zealanders are in action at the pool today.

Bell and Moss Burmester in the 50m butterfly; Emily Thomas and Melissa Ingram in the 100m backstroke; Glenn Snyders in the 100m breaststroke; Palmer, Penny Marshall and Natasha Hind in the 100m freestyle.