Mosse heads rankings

Press, 12 March 1985, Page 38

Mosse heads rankings

By

KEVIN TUTTY

New Zealand swimmers did not win any medals at the Los Angeles Olympics last year, but in terms of world rankings the sport had its most successful year. New Zealand has 12 swimmers - seven men and five women - in the 1984 world rankings just released. The highest ranked of these is Anthony Mosse, who was ranked sixth in the 200 m men’s butterfly. That is the highest ranking by a New Zealander since Rebecca Perrott was the second fastest woman in the 200 m freestyle in 1978 - the year she won the gold medal in the event at the Edmonton Commonwealth Games. Mosse was ranked in three events last year. In the 100 m butterfly he was eighteenth with a time of 54.93, and in the 200 m freestyle he was one hundred and fortieth in Imin 54.125. The world rankings extend to 140 competitors. Garry Hurring, who on Saturday was awarded the New Zealand Swimmer of the Year trophy, was ranked twelfth in the 100 m backstroke and nineteenth in the 200 m. His times, both recorded at the Olympics,

MOSSE

were 56.90 s and 2min 3.105. Paul Kingsman, the other backstroke representative at Los Angeles, thrust himself well up the rankings with good times. He was thirty-ninth in the 100 m backstroke and thirty-sixth in the 200 m. His times were 57.83 s and 2min 4.745. New Zealand’s most accomplished freestyler, Michael Davidson, was ranked in three events. He was twenty-first in the 800 m freestyle with Bmin 9.045; thirtieth in the 1500 m freestyle with 15min 35.435; and fifty-fourth in the 400 m freestyle with 3min 57.885.

Brett Austin and Grant Forbes were both ranked in breaststroke. Austin was a commendable thirty-eighth in the 100 m breaststroke. His time was Imin 4.835. Forbes was one hundred and nineteenth in the 100 m, and one hundred and fourth in the 200 m, with times of Imin 6.31 s and 2min 24.135.

Peter Gee, of Southland, who is attending the Australian Sports Institute in Canberra, appeared in the rankings for the first time. He was one hundred and fortieth in the 200 m butterfly with 2min 5.695.

Carmel Clarke, now at university in Alabama had the best ranking of the women. Her gritty backstroke performances at the Olympics earned her twenty-fourth ranking in the 100 m event and twentyfourth in the 200 m. Her times were Imin 4.33 s and 2min 16.785.

Two other women, Kerrylynne Torrance and Andrea Hawcridge were ranked in the 200 m backstroke. Torrance was ninety-seventh with 2min 21.19 s and Hawcridge, who is at university in Hawaii, was twelfth with 2min 21.555. Hawcridge was also one hundred and eighth in the 200 m individual medley with a time of 2min 23.295.

Gail Johnson, who has since retired, had three world rankings. Her best was fortieth in the 400 in individual medley. The time, recorded in Hamilton, was 4min 56.385. She was seventy-seventh in the 200 m butterfly (2min 17.405) and ninety-third in the 200 m individual medley (2min 22.785). Anna Doig, another Olympic representative, also at university in Alabama, was ranked sixty-ninth in the 100 m butterfly. Her time, swum in Los Angeles, was Imin 3.155. There were other interesting aspects of the ranking lists. Joe Bottom, of the United States, was ranked eighty-sixth in the men’s 100 m butterfly with a time of 56.205. Bottom was 29 when he achieved that time in the world veterans’ championships in Christchurch a year ago. Some quick research shatters the theory that swimming is a young person’s sport - that you are over the hill by the time you are out of your teens.

In the men’s 100 m freestyle for example, only five of the top 30 swimmers were under 20. Four were 19 and the other 18. The age range of the others was from 20 to 27.