2016 NEW ZEALAND SHORT COURSE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Sir Owen G Glenn National Aquatic Centre, Auckland
- October 2nd-6th, 2016
- Prelims – 9 am local (4 pm EST (the previous day)
- Finals – 6 pm local (1 am EST)
- Meet Schedule
- Results
- World Short Course Championships Qualifying Criteria
The North Shore Club has won six titles over the first two days of competition at the 2016 New Zealand Short Course Championships. The team suffered a tragic loss on September 1st when Hayley Edmond passed away at the age of 21 after a battle with cancer. The club is wearing special caps honouring their beloved teammate.
19 year old Wilrich Coetzee of the North Shore Club was the star of the second evening of the championships winning two events on Monday. Coetzee won the men’s 200 IM in a time of 1:59.66, finishing almost a second ahead of the field and took the men’s 100 backstroke in a time of 53.57. The win in the 100 backstroke was a little tougher as he had to contend with his brother Corneille Coetzee who finished second in a time of 53.67.
Coetzee, who also won the 400 IM on the first night of the competition, will look to qualify for the World Short Course Championships in either the 100 butterfly (Wednesday) or the 200 butterfly (Thursday), “The targets are the butterfly events on the last two days so it’s a case of being patient, every day doing all the processes and working on the skills,” Coetzee said.
“We are working towards world championship qualification. Tonight we were gunning for it but the skills weren’t up to it so it was a good learning experience.”
“Once the butterfly hits I want to reach the target both morning and night. I want to qualify well and not by the skin of my teeth.”
Coetzee will have to make some significant drops in both events if he hopes to qualify for a trip to Windsor. He comes into the meet with a best time of 53.03 in the 100 and a 1:57.87 in the 200 while the qualifying time in the 100 is a 51.75 and is a 1:55.98 in the 200.
Carina Doyle, also of the North Shore Club, won the women’s 400 freestyle recording a time of 4:13.61.
2015 Junior World Champion Gabrielle Fa’amausili won the women’s 100 backstroke in a time of 59.54. Fa’amausili, who came into the competition with a life time best of 58.64, failed to make the World Short Course Championships qualifying time of 58.79.
Bronagh Ryan won her second event of the competition taking the women’s 50 breaststroke in a time of 31.79. On Sunday evening Ryan set a new national record in the 100 breaststroke winning the event in a time of 1:07.94.
Emily Washer of Australia also won her second event of the competition hitting the wall first in the women’s 200 IM posting a time of 2:12.22. Chloe Francis was the top Kiwi in the event posting a time of 2:14.82.