Ashby’s On A Roll, Collects Two More Kiwi Records On Night 2 of NZL SC

2018 NEW ZEALAND SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, October 2nd – Saturday, October 6th
• Sir Owen G. Glenn National Aquatic Centre
• SCM
• Meet Site
• Psych Sheets
• SwimSwam Meet Preview
• Day 1 Recap
• Live Stream
• Results

22-year-old Bradlee Ashby followed up his record-breaking session from last night with an additional 2 golds this evening in Auckland. After taking the 200m free and 50m fly national titles on night 1, Ashby crushed a new personal best in the SCM 200 IM to kick-off another night of the New Zealand Short Course Championships and collect another gold.

Entering tonight’s final, Ashby’s personal best was the 1:55.30 NZL national record he threw down at these same championships last year. Tonight, however, the athlete representing North Shore registered a winning time of 1:54.51 to blow his PB out of the water and also very comfortably slide under the FINA B cut of 2:00.77 for this December’s Short Course World Championships.

Two North Shore teammates finished behind Ashby to make it a club sweep, with Wilrich Coetzee and Callum Prime earning 200m IM silver and bronze with respective times of 1:57.94 and 1:59.32.

Only about 30 minutes later, Ashby was back in the pool contesting the men’s 100m back race, where the versatile swimmer got the job done yet again. Clocking a PB of 52.06, Ashby nailed another FINA B cut to offer himself up for consideration for Hangzhou.

Another record-breaking swim on the night came in the form of Gina McCarthy‘s 16-year national age record in the women’s 200m IM. The Hillcrest Amateur Swim Club teen topped the podium in a stellar 2:13.40, a personal best by 1.85 seconds. The mark also overtook the previous NAG for 16-year-olds set by Helen Norfolk way back in 1998.

Behind McCarthy tonight were North Shore’s Yeonsu Lee and Ruby Matthews of Evolution Aquatics Tauranga. Lee touched in 2:15.46, while Matthews rounded out the top 3 in 2:16.31.

Additional FINA B cuts were obtained by winners Paige Flynn in the women’s 100m back (58.90) and Carina Doyle in the women’s 400m free. For Doyle, her winning time this evening of 4:06.81 smashed her previous PB by almost 5 seconds and dipped under the FINA ‘A’ cut as well (4:07.29), most assuredly securing her spot on the Hangzhou roster.

With Australia’s Andrew Hemsworth getting his hand on the wall first in the men’s 50m breast in 27.81, it was 27-year-old Malcolm Richardson who earned the New Zealand national title this year by finishign ahead of all other Kiwis. Of note, Richardson had retired post-2012 and focused on his medical career, but decided to come back to swimming now as a medical doctor. In just 3 months of training, the Kiwi was able to nab a national title.

Last night’s 100m breast hero for the women struck again, this time in the 50m sprint, with 17-year-old Ciara Smith clocking 31.83. That mark fell just .06 outside of the FINA B cut.

Additionally, for anyone wondering about Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Lewis Clareburt, the teen told SwimSwam that he decided not to target NZL SC because he wasn’t planning on going to Short Course Worlds. Instead, he’s planning on going to the Queensland Championships that are slated for December.