Swimming: Trembath and Deans shine for Otago

Andrew Trembath
Andrew Trembath
International surf life-saver Andrew Trembath (Neptune) proved he can be competitive in the pool as well by winning two silver medals in Wellington this week.

Trembath (17), a pupil at Otago Boys' High School, was Otago's best-performed swimmer after two days of the New Zealand age group championships.

He came second in the boys aged 17 and 18 200m backstroke, in 2min 05.99sec and in the 400m individual medley, in 4min 32.35sec.

His most significant medal came in the 200m backstroke, which was won by North Shore's Jackson Cropp, in 2min 05.34sec.

Both swimmers bettered the qualifying selection mark of 2min 07.48sec for the Youth Olympics but were outside the mark for the tougher criteria for the Junior Pan Pacific championships.

Trembath again demonstrated his ability to lift his performance for the big meets.

He won 11 medals - four gold, five silver and two bronze - at the New Zealand short course championships in Wellington last October.

The championships at the Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre are the official trials for swimmers to be considered for the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Hawaii and the second Youth Olympics in China in August.

Three swimmers per event can be considered for selection for the Junior Pan Pacific Championships, while there is a maximum of two male and two female swimmers in total for the Youth Olympics team.

The other Otago swimmer to shine was Caitlin Deans (Neptune), who won a silver medal in the girls aged 14 400m freestyle, in 4min 28.67sec and bronze in the 100m freestyle, in 1min 00.72sec.

Both swimmers are members of coach Gennadiy Labara's squad.

Alexandra's Campbell Pearson won a silver medal in the boys aged 15 200m backstroke, in 2min 15.21sec and Tame Govaerts (Zenith) silver in the boys aged 14 50m breaststroke, in 32sec.

Bronze medals were won by Sophie Fairbairn (Wanaka) in the girls aged 14 50m freestyle, in 28.55sec and Courtland Ellis (Neptune) in the boys' aged 14 400m individual medley, in 4min 55.79sec.

 

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