Swimming: Fitch makes it two wins over veteran

By DAVE WORSLEY


North Shore swimmer Alison Fitch had her second win over Toni Jeffs in the 50m open freestyle during a weekend of top racing at the West Auckland Aquatic Centre.

On Saturday Fitch pipped Jeffs in the Auckland championship age-group races and yesterday the two were stroke-for-stroke in the open final with Fitch, 23, pulling away from 35-year-old Jeffs in the dying stages.

Fitch's time of 26.42sec was a good one for a swimmer who rates the event behind her favoured 100m and 200m.

Liz Coster broke her 100m open butterfly record of the previous night by nearly a second with a time of 1m 01.27s.

Second and third were two Japanese swimmers, Miki Inai and Matsumi Musochi.

Dean Kent continued his good form of the meet, but almost had to swim by himself winning the 200m open medley and going under the Olympic qualifying time. He came home at 2m 03.22s, nearly a second under the qualifying time of 2m 04.11s.

However, New Zealand swimmers can achieve Olympic qualifying marks only at the national championships, to be held in Auckland in March-April.

Second was fellow North Shore swimmer Anthony Van Der Kraay in 2m 10.98s.

Top Japanese swimmer Sachiko Yamada dominated the women's 400m open freestyle with a good time of 4m 15.64s, ahead of another Japanese swimmer, Sawami Fujita, with Helen Norfolk third.

Today the big events will be the women's 50m open backstroke with Hannah McLean, Coster and Melissa Ingram competing. The 200m open freestyle should also be a keen contest between Japanese contender Yamada and Fitch.

In the men's events, Kent faces up to Kieren Daly and teenager Glenn Synders in the 200m open breaststroke.