Swimmers break decades-old records
Whanganui records have tumbled at the Wellington Short Course Swimming Championships.
A team of 16 made the trip to the Coastlands Aquatic Centre in Paraparaumu, bringing back 44 medals and 71 personal bests.
More than 300 swimmers from 22 clubs competed. Short course refers to a pool 25m in length rather than 50m.
Arahi Doggett set five new short course Whanganui records in the 9-year-old age group.
His 100m backstroke time of 1:26:82 broke a record that had stood since 2001, as did his 50m freestyle time of 35.07.
He was joined in the record-breaking by 10-year-old Ziva Bunker, whose time of 2:44.86 in the 200m backstroke took 3.5 seconds off the previous short course record from 2009.
Bunker also broke her own record in the 100m backstroke with a time of 1:17:93.
Paige Conley from WHS Year 9, a double gold medalist at this year’s New Zealand Age Group Championships, recorded a time of 4:38.51 in the 400m freestyle, six seconds faster than her own short course record for a 13-year-old.
Team spokesman Aaron Bunker said the benefits of having coach Richard Gheel on board were really beginning to show.
“The kids are coming along and the easiest way to see that is in the results.
“Records are being broken that have stood for years.”
At Paraparaumu, the Whanganui female team placed second out of 20 teams and the males came home 11th out of 17.
The female result, in particular, was “quite a big thing for little old Whanganui”, Bunker said.
“They’ve taken on these metropolitan clubs with metropolitan funding and more than held their own.”
Gheel competed at three Commonwealth Games for Northern Ireland and at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games for Ireland. He has been Whanganui’s head coach since 2019.
Bunker said having a coach of Gheel’s calibre was massive for the club, but the dedication of the swimmers was also crucial.
“You’re not just going to get in the pool for one session with a coach and start flying.
“It’s a long journey and it’s good to see the results coming through for the kids that have stuck to the sport.”
Swimming was now a year-round sport, Bunker said.
The new season kicks off on July 1.
“Some kids are taking a two-week break over the winter period then they’re straight back into things.
“They’ll be aiming for winter series - the Wellington junior champs, the Wellington All Stars meets and the Hawke’s Bay champs.
“Then there is the West Coast Championships in October, which is the biggest Whanganui meet - our pinnacle local event.”
17/7/23