The Herald looks at a group of young up-and-comers who could make a lasting impact this year. By DAVID LEGGAT
When New Zealand's best swimmers gather at the Waitakere Aquatic Centre pool for the national championships at the end of March they will have a trip to Athens in mind.
Top of
the list of those with real prospects of going to the Olympic Games is North Shore 17-year-old Corney Swanepoel.
His specialist event, the 100m butterfly, has a qualifying time of 53.87s.
Swanepoel has already gone under that, clocking 53.49s to earn a trip to the world championships in Barcelona last year.
But Swimming New Zealand says qualifying times must be achieved at the national championships. So Swanepoel must do it again.
National director of coaching Clive Rushton is confident that Swanepoel has what it takes to be on the plane to Athens.
Early last year, Rushton commented that Swanepoel was swimming better times than the great Danyon Loader at the same stage of his career.
"Technique is more important than strength in anything to do with swimming and his is excellent," Rushton said. "He has exceptional technique and beautiful co-ordination.
"His attitude is very good. He really wants to succeed."
Swanepoel has already had his eyes opened to the bigger picture, and what is required.
That came at Barcelona, which Rushton believes produced the highest standard of swimming at any world championship meet.
So the South African-born Swanepoel now knows exactly what is required to cut it at the top level.
Rushton rejects any suggestion that Swanepoel falls into the shooting star category, and does not believe burnout, the bane of so many bright young prospects, is an issue.
He believes those swimmers suffer either through developing at an unusually early age or getting success through extremely intensive training early in their careers.
"I don't see either of those things in Corney.
"He's excited by his work, he enjoys his training and he's in the most successful programme in the country at the Millennium Institute on the North Shore.
"He is a genuine world-class prospect in the long term."
