Swimming: 'Golden oldie' Jeffs on way to Sydney

By PETER JESSUP

Wellington swimmer Toni Jeffs came from nowhere to qualify for the Sydney Olympics last night, breaking age preconceptions as well as the time barrier.

The 31-year-old Jeffs beat speculation that there would be a changing of the guard at the Waitakere Aquatic Centre in Henderson in the national championships, but she looks like being the only one of the old timers to make Sydney 2000.

Danyon Loader was well short of his best and all marks last night when he failed to make the A final in the 400m freestyle.

He set out fast and had a body-length lead in the B final but ran out of fuel and was overtaken to finish fifth in 4m 16.12s. A-final winner Jonathan Duncan came home in 3m 56.71s. The Olympic qualifying time is 3m 56s flat, Loader's best is 3m 47.97s but he clearly has not been doing the laps to repeat that now, and is looking increasingly unlikely to make New Zealand's Sydney squad.

Duncan's time was all the more impressive for the fact he was not pressed at all, with second-placegetter Moss Burmester, a full 9s behind.

Jeffs, who clocked 26.03s in qualifying for Sydney, had plenty of help. Germany-resident, Kiwi-born Vivienne Rignall, was second, 0.09s behind and 0.07s off joining Jeffs in Sydney.

North Shore swimmer Monique Robins was another 0.05s back.

Jeffs swam with a back injury. "That's what makes this special," she said.

"It was hurting towards end. I didn't come here expecting to qualify - I wanted to see how fast I could go."

She would go faster with the back fully repaired, she said, though not predicting how much faster.

Jeffs said she had done a lot of preparation work.

She swam in a now-outdated lycra half-suit but is looking for one of the new Australian-style sprinters' shark skins.

And she will be reassessing her chances and her build-up. It may be that she will compete in Europe.

Steven Ferguson went close in the 200m breaststroke, his 2m 17.81s being 0.1s off the Olympic gate. He said later that he would go on to the Australian championships to try again next month.