Swimming: Impressive medal haul for squad

READY, STEADY: Swimmers make way for the 800m freestyle swim in which Elena Forlong (lane 6) took nine seconds off her personal best in a field that included Commonwealth Games rep Emma Robinson (lane 4).PHOTO/SUPPLIED

The second weekend of the Wellington Short Course swimming champs netted more medals, more personal bests and more records for the Subway Wanganui Swim team.

For the second weekend, the small Wanganui club team produced the goods adding two more golds, one silver and seven bronzes to their already impressive medal tally.

Add to that three Wanganui open records and two age group records and things are looking exciting for the upcoming NZ short course champs in the same pool in three weeks' time.

Sarya Lower was the first Wanganui swimmer to race and set the ball rolling by claiming bronze in the girls 13-year-old 100-metre freestyle in a Wanganui age group record time of 1.01.97.

A short time later, Shannon Schimanski put in a gold medal swim in the 50m breaststroke in a Wanganui open record time of 34.55. Once again the 14-year-old's time was only beaten by one other swimmer at the meet and she was 21.

In the Saturday afternoon session, which was highlighted by a world record time in the women's 1500m freestyle by Lauren Boyle, the Wanganui team took some inspiration from warming up in the same lane as the Commonwealth Games silver medallist, with Sarya Lower claiming her second bronze of the day in the 13-years 100m backstroke.

In the same event, Schimanski came 4th and Niamh Hogan qualified for the NZ Div 2 meet with her 9th placing.

Sixteen-year-old Sophie Couper claimed bronze in the 100m backstroke, and Jaimee Schimanski (also 16) came 7th in the same event.

While Couper's was the last medal of the day for Wanganui, Lower's 4th place swim in the 50m freestyle was a Wanganui 13-year-old's record in 29.04 seconds.

On the Sunday, Lower was again in the medals early with a bronze in the 200m individual medley. She backed this up with her 4th bronze medal in the 200m butterfly to cap off a successful weekend for her.

In the girls 15-year-old 200m butterfly, Elena Forlong claimed Wanganui's second gold of the weekend (and their fourth of the competition) with a Wanganui open record swim in a time of 2.22.05.

Forlong swam a nine second personal best in the open women's 800m freestyle to finish 5th overall in a Wanganui open record time of 9.16.02.

The 200m backstroke proved to be a medal feast for the Wanganui team with Schimanski completing her full set of medals with a bronze in the 14-year-old girls. Jazmin Phillips picked up her third medal of the meet in the 15-year-old girls, and 16-year-old Couper's silver brought Wanganui's impressive haul to 17 medals.

Coach Andy McLaysaid the two weekends were very satisfying. "The team was small, but with everyone swimming well, it gives us plenty of momentum as we move towards the national meets."