Swimmers qualify for Aust. titles

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33066, 6 November 1972, Page 18

Swimmers qualify for Aust. titles

Four Canterbury swimmers broke qualifying times for the 1973 Australian national open championships in trials at the Wharenui pool yesterday.

An encouraging aspect was that three of the four swimmers were men, the branch in which Canterbury swimming has not been strong in the last few years. The three men—G. Dinnison, R. Gray and B. Lewis—have represented New Zealand previously. The other swimmer to break a qualifying time was Miss L. Rowe.

Dinnison qualified in the 1500 metres freestyle with 17min 12.5 sec. Converted to long course, his time was 17mln 19,lsec, lOsec better than his previous best for the distance. The Australian qualifying time is 18min.

Lewis's converted time for 100 metres breaststroke was isec inside the time required of Imin 17.5 sec, Gray qualified in the 200 metres backstroke and the time he swum yesterday was his best and converted to 2min 21.5 sec, which was 6.ssec inside the required time.

Miss Rowe was outside her best time when she qualified in the women’s 800 metres freestyle, but this was not surprising as she has been training heavily recently. Her converted time yesterday was 9min 55.45ee, 14.6 sec inside the qualifying mark.

The young breaststroke swimmer, Miss w. Wakefield, swam 3min O.lsec for 200 metres and the qualifying time is 2mln 59sec.

E. Box, another young swimmer, did his best 100 metres freestyle time of Imin 2.3 sec. M. Trembath, swimming with Dinnison. was ssee outside the 1500 metres freestyle time.

All the swimmers who qualified are from the Wharenui club. A New Zealand team will swim at the Australian championships to be held in Adelaide in February but its size has not yet been decided. At present it is proposed that a New Zealand team will be chosen but other swimmers who break Australian qualifying times may join it at their own expense.