Swimming: Ingram in sparkling form at Auckland champs

North Shore's Melissa Ingram showed she is on schedule with a superb win on the third night of the Auckland swimming championships tonight.

Ingram, the Beijing Olympian who missed selection to last year's world championships, went within a fingertip of the Commonwealth Games selection time in the 200m backstroke at the West Wave Aquatics Centre.

The 24-year-old clocked two minutes 11.62 seconds, just .011sec outside the qualifying time for New Delhi, thoroughly impressive given her heavy training load.

"That felt really good and quite strong," Ingram said. "We've just come off a really big week of training and have this four-day meet on top of it, so I am really happy with that swim."

Ingram also clocked an excellent 4min 14sec in the heats of the 400m freestyle in the morning, but bypassed the final to concentrate on the 200m backstroke.

"We have changed things a little in my training and focussing on my speed a bit more," she said.

Fellow North Shore Olympian Daniel Bell also impressed in winning the men's 200m backstroke in a slick 2min 02.20sec as well as winning through to tomorrow night's final in the Rangitoto 50m backstroke elimination series against Wellington's John Gatfield.

Corney Swanepoel and Moss Burmester, both from the International Training Centre, warmed up for next month's Commonwealth Games trials finishing one-two in the 100m butterfly in 54.20sec and 54.36sec respectively.

Southland's Natalie Wiegersma continued her impressive form in dominating the women's 100m butterfly in 1min 01.34sec, while Glenn Snyders (ITC) and Christchurch's Beckie Dooley took out the 200m breaststroke.