Jittery international debut

Press, 20 September 1985, Page 20

Jittery international debut

Paul Tozer, the Christchurch swimmer who hoped to break a New Zealand record in Japan recently, has returned home 0.3 s short of his goal, but thankful for having made his international debut.

Tozer, and his club-mate, Grant Forbes, competed in the Pan Pacific championships in Tokyo, and then Tozer moved on the the World University Games in Kobe.

In Tokyo Tozer failed by 0.3 s to break the New Zealand 200 m individual medley record held by Barry Salisbury. He recorded 2min 10.6 s in his heat. The record is 2min 10.45. Tozer was far from disappointed though. The time was 2.5 s better than his previous best for the distance. The swim was his second in international competition. Earlier he had swum in the

heats of the 200 m freestyle, and said that before the start he had “never been so nervous before a race.”

In spite of an overdose of the jitters, Tozer recorded his best time for the distance, Imin 59.05. The Tokyo meet was attended by many of the world’s top swimmers, but the standard at the University Games was even higher said Tozer.

Again he used the 200 m freestyle as a warm up race and recorded Imin 59.05. In the medley he tried to go with the leaders in his heat.

“My pace for the first leg was suicidal and I died late in the race. But I still recorded 2min Us.” At Kobe Tozer also swam the 100 m freestyle and sliced o.Bs off his best time, recording 54.55. Later in the freestyle leg of the medley relay he recorded 53.0 s flat

from a flying start. From Japan Tozer went to Sydney for the Australian winter championships and an international long course meeting in Canberra.

“By that time my form was dropping off but I still recorded times that were better than I produced at the New Zealand nationals last March, so that was encouraging.

*T was glad I had the chance to swim in those competitions in Japan. I wouldn’t want to have to go through that introduction at the Commonwealth Games next year. “I learned heaps on the tour and picked up a lot of tips from Anthony Mosse.”

Mosse swam at both Tokyo and Kobe. Forbes, who also swam in the Australian winter championships, and at Canberra, failed to better his best long course times, but broke the New Zealand short course 100 m breaststroke record at Sydney. Forbes swam Imin 3.6 s and took o.ls off the

national record set by Richard Lockhart at the New Zealand winter championships in July. Lockhart was a team-mate of Forbes in Tokyo and Australia. In Tokyo, Forbes reached the final of the 100 m breaststroke and recorded Imin 6.15, 0.3 s outside his best. He swam the same time in Canberra. The highlight of the tour for Forbes was the medley relay final at Sydney. The New Zealand team of Forbes, Kirk Torrance ■ (backstroke), Dale Wright (butterfly), and Ross Ander- "> son (freestyle), won the ; race, edging out the Queens- J land team. f New Zealand recorded an outstanding time—3min 49.0 s—and Anderson swimming the freestyle leg, recorded a 51.0 s split from a ' flying start. By KEVIN TUTTY.