Miss Shipston Breaks Three N.Z. Records In A Day

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31543, 4 December 1967, Page 8

Miss Shipston Breaks Three N.Z. Records In A Day

The smin bogey which has stifled progress in women’s quartermile freestyle swimming in New Zealand for years has gone at last. And, inevitably, it was the remarkable Tui Shipston who swept aside the menacing barrier during a special carnival at the Centennial Pool on Saturday night.

Fatigued after a punishing solo swim in which she broke the national senior 400 yd medley mark at the St Albans pool in the morning, the lithe 16-year-old Canterbury girl displayed amazing recuperative powers by bouncing back in the evening to crack the New Zealand 440 yd and 400 metres records with a grand time of 4min 59sec. In achieving the feat she trounced the national champion, Miss D. C. Myers (Otago), by 13 yards. To crown a magnificent day’s efforts, Miss Shipston again beat Miss Myers in a 110 yd butterfly race z with a time less than 2sec away from Miss S. Whittleston’s national figure. Without Miss Shipston’s brilliance, Saturday night’s carnival would still have been a resounding success. Spectators at the Centennial Pool were treated to a succession of fast times and thrilling races by a dozen Olympic triaiists—notably A. B. Kindred and D. F. Gerrard—and leading Canterbury competitors. The strapping Kindred downed his youthful challenger from Dunedin, M. Borrie, in an epic race over 440 yards freestyle, while Gerrard reinforced his claims for a second trip to the Olympics with two convincing butterfly performances. Skilful breaststroke swimming by I. M. Johnstone (Otago), Miss L. Smith (Canterbury), and Miss B. N. Williams (Auckland) and best career performances by the Christchurch girls. Misses J. Wright and C. J. Whiting, at backstroke and freestyle respectively, contributed to one of the pool's finest carnivals. The night’s tally was two New Zealand and eight Canterbury records, with a further two centre marks equalled. The convener of the national selection panel (Mr A. J. Donaldson) was delighted with the performances. Competitors, he

said, were obviously making a concerted effort to reach the demanding standards laid down for Olympic nomination. Ctrl v. Stop Watch Less than nine hours after reducing her 400 yards medley record by 2.3 sec to smin O.Ssec at St Albans, Miss Shipston was on the way to her sub-smih quarter-mile freestyle swim at the Centennial Pool. She was two yards ahead of Miss Myers at 110 yards, and from then on the stop watch became her chief opponent. Her split time for the first 110 yards was 70sec, and although she slipped back to 77sec for the second lap, she brought the record within her grasp with a determined third lap of 73sec. This left her with 80sec at her disposal on the final leg, and she achieved her goal with a second to spare. Miss Myers was second in smin 9.lsec, and Miss Whiting was a meritorious third in the new under-14 record time of smin 17.8 sec.

Kindred was expected to make an all-out bird to avenge an earlier defeat at Borrie’s hands, and he did not disappoint his supporters. Borrie showed that he was a courageous as well as a speedy swimmer, for although Kindred beat him on the turns he kept coming back to the champion’s shoulders.

At the half-way mark Kindred was timed at 2min 14sec —equal to his best furlong time this summer—and a strong last lap of 67sec brought him victory by about 4ft. His time of 4min 34.1 sec was four seconds and a half faster than his Canterbury record; the z national figure was a little over 3sec away. Borrie, too, produced his bast time, 4min 33.35ec, but the effort cost him dear. He was in an advanced state of exhaustion after the race, and took a long time to recover. Suggestions that M. F. Toomey (Otago) might be ready* to usurp Gerrard’s position in the butterfly field were convincingly squashed by the champion. He drubbed his young rival twice, and his superb effort of ■lmin 2sec for 110 yards—o.Bsec off the New Zealand record—was the result of sustained effort and a polished technique. Miss Smith had two gripping duels with the Auckland breaststroke prodigy, Miss Williams, and it was fitting that honours were even. The Canterbury girl won by a touch over 220 yards in 3min o.9sec, to improve the Canterbury record by more than ssec, and she equalled the 110 yards record of Imin 25.75ec

in finishing a foot behind her rival. , _ Although she lost valuable ground on the turns, Miss wright had too much stamina for the Otago backstroke champion, Miss C. Mitchell, over 220 yards, and won easily in her best tlme of 2min 40sec. Miss Wright also extended Miss Whiting over 110 yards freestyle, but the 13-year-old Wharenui girl finished strongly to break the Canterbury junior and under-14 marks. In the absence of W. Baker (Southland), Johnstone had matters much his own way in the men’s breaststroke races, but the Anticipated victory by Miss Myers in the women’s butterfly failed to materialise in the face of Miss Shipston’s consistency. The Otago girl had the race in hand for three-quarters of the distance, but she faded as Miss Shipston made her bid in the last 25 yards. The winning time was 2.lsec faster than the Canterbury record. Angela Bunt (Wharenui) chopped 4.lsec from her own centre record for under-13 girls’ 220 yd breaststroke with a time of 3min 12.5 sec, while John Tillson (Elmwood) equalled the junior boys* 110 yd backstroke mark of Imin llsec. Abbreviations used in the results are:— Ash, Ashburton; Ak., Auckland: 0., Otago; E., Elmwood; W.. Wharenui; S.P., Sockburn Psrk; A., Spreydon; J.P., Jellie Park. Results were:— Men 110 Yards Freestyle.—A. B. Kindred (W.) 1, D. M. Kindle (W.) 2, M. Johnston (J.P.) 3. Time, 1:3.1. 440 Yards Freestyle.—A. B. Kindred (W.) 1. M. Borrie (OJ 2, B. Ward (W.) 3. Time, 4.34.1 (a Canterbury record). 100 Yards Breaststroke. —I. M. Johnstone (O.) 1, R. J. Wilson (S.) 2, M. King (W.) 3. Time, 1:13.7. 220 Yards Breaststroke.—l. M. Johnstone (O.) 1, R. J. Wilson (S.) 2, M. King (W.) 3. Time, 116 Yards Butterfly.—D. F. Gerrard (Ash.) 1, M. F. Toomey, (O.) 2, B. Ward. (W.) 3. Time, 1:2. 220 Yards Butterfly, —D. F. Gerrard (Ash.) 1, M. F. Toomey (O.) 2. Time, 2:18.4.

Women 110 Yards Freestyle.—C. J. Whiting (W.), 1, J. Wright (S.P.) 2, G. Dacombe (W.) 3. Time. 1:7 3 (a Canterbury junior and under-14 record). 440 Yards Freestyle.—T. K. Shipston (E.) 1, D. C. Myers (O.)

2, C. J. Whiting (W.) 3. Time, 4:59 (a New Zealand record). 110 Yards Breaststroke.—B. N. Williams (Ak.) 1, L. Smith (W.) 2, M. Richardson (W.) 3. Time, 220 Yards Breaststroke.—L. Smith (W.) 1, B. N. Williams (Ak.) 2, A. Bunt (W.) 3. Time, 3:09 (a Canterbury record). 110 Yards Butterfly.—T. K. Shipston (E.) 1, D. C. Myers (O.) 2, J. Hay (E.) 3. Time, 1:12.6 (a Canterbury record). Mixed 110 Yards Backstroke.—J. Tillson (E.) 1, G. Walker (E.) 2, Miss C. Mitchell (O.) 3. Time, 1:11 (equals Canterbury junior record). 220 Yards Backstroke.—W. Robertson (O.) 1, Miss J. Wright (S.P.) 2, Miss C. Mitchell (O.) 3. Time, 2:30.1. Relays Boys under 12, freestyle.— Heat 1: Wharenui A 1, Sockburn Park 2, Elmwood 3. Time, 2:26.0. Heat 2: Jellie Park 1, Spreydon 2. Time, 2:43.8. Final: Wharenui A 1, Sockburn Park 2. Time, 2:27-1. Girls under 14, medley.—Elmwood 1, Wharenui 2, Sockburn Park 3. Time, 2:38. Mixed under 10, Freestyle.— Wharenui 1, Sockburn Park 2, Spreydon 3. Time, 3:6.8. Open Medley.—Wharenui 1, Spreydon 2. Time, 2:15.6. Girls under 16, Freestyle.— Spreydon 1, Sockburn Park 2, Jellie Park 3. Time, 2:19 5. Girls under 12, Freestyle.— Jellie Park 1, Sockburn Park 2, Wharenui 3. Time, 2:40.5. Boys under 16, Medley.—Spreydon 1. Time, 2:31.5. Boys under 14, Freestyle.— Sockburn Park 1, Wharenui 2, Spreydon 3. Time, 2:10.3. Boys under 12, Medley.—Wharenui 1, Spreydon 2. Time, 2:56.8. Girls under 14, Freestyle.— Elmwood 1, Wharenui B 2, Wharenui A 3. Time, 2:20.4. Girls under 16, Medley.—Wharenui 1. Sockburn Park ' 2, Spreydon 3. Time, 2:34.2. Girls under 12, Medley.—Elmwood 1, Wharenui 2, Sockburn Park 3. Time, 3:12.5. Boys under 16, Freestyle.— Spreydon 1. Sockburn Park 2. Time, 2:2.1. Boys under 14, Medley.— Sockburn Park 1, Wharenui 2, Spreydon 3. Time, 2:39.8. Mixed Open, Freestyle.—Elmwood 1, Sockburn Park 2, Spreydon 3. Time, 1:58.9.

Swimming Gala.— The intercentre North Island swimming carnival will be held for the first time in the Wairarapa, at Masterton, on December 9.