King's High School pupil Tame Govaerts won his second New Zealand age-group title at the weekend.
The Zenith club swimmer won the boys aged 14 100m breaststroke title in the Otago record time of 1min 8.76sec at the championships in Wellington.
It was his second title at last week's championships and his third Otago record, beating the record set by Han Zhang (Neptune) last year.
Govaerts was one of Otago's most successful swimmers at the championships and won four medals - two gold, one silver and one bronze.
At the weekend, he also won bronze in the 200m individual medley in 2min 19.30sec.
He is one of the most promising younger swimmers in coach Gennadiy Labara's squad at Moana Pool.
Other Otago gold medallists at the weekend were Campbell Pearson (Alexandra), and Neptune's Andrew Trembath and Caitlin Deans.
Pearson won his title in the boys aged 15 50m backstroke in 28.31sec. It beat the record that Trembath set in 2012.
Pearson won three medals at Wellington last week: two gold and one silver.
Trembath was Otago's best swimmer at the championships and won five medals: two gold, two silver and one bronze.
At the weekend, he won a gold medal in the boys aged 17 and 18 50m backstroke in 26.72sec. The time was worth 728 Fina points and qualified him for the Junior Pan Pac championships starting in Hawaii on August 28.
Twelve swimmers bettered the standards for the Junior Pan Pacific Championships, which comprises full-strength teams from the Pacific Rim including the US, Canada, Japan and Australia, as well as New Zealand.
Under the qualifying times in the final session were Bradlee Ashby, Carter Edgecombe, Jacob Garrod, Dominic Mildon, Michael Mincham, George Schroder, Andrew Trembath, Ben Walsh and Julian Weir.
Trembath was named in the New Zealand team for the Pan Pacifics and his coach, Labara, has been named as a coach of the team. Trembath also won a bronze medal in the 200m individual medley in 2min 08.81sec.
Deans won five medals in the girls aged 14 grade: one gold, three silver and one bronze. Her gold at the weekend came in the 800m in a time of 9min 14.78sec. It was worth 705 Fina points.
Deans' silver at the weekend came in the 400m individual medley in 5min 15.98sec.
Devon Familton (Neptune) won a silver medal in the girls aged 14 200m individual medley in 2min 28.99sec.
Courtland Ellis (Neptune) won silver in the boys aged 14 200m individual medley in 2min 16.84sec. He also won a bronze medal in the 100m breaststroke in 1min 10.66sec.
Nick Pryde (Neptune) won a bronze medal in the boys aged 14 1500m in 17min 00.29sec.
Otago swimmers won 23 medals - seven gold, nine silver and seven bronze - at the championships.
In the same championships at Wellington last year, Otago swimmers won 50 medals - 16 gold, 18 silver and 16 bronze.
NZ age-group champs
Otago gold medallists
• Campbell Pearson (Alexandra).
• Andrew Trembath (Neptune).
• Tame Govaerts (Neptune).
• Caitlin Deans (Neptune).
New Zealand team
For Junior Pan Pacific Champs
Pool: Bradlee Ashby (Fairfield, Hamilton), Rebekah Bradley (United, Auckland), Carter Edgecombe (Fairfield), Dominic Mildon (Howick Pakuranga), George Schroder (AquaGym, Christchurch), Andrew Trembath (Neptune, Dunedin), Ben Walsh (Porirua City Aquatics) and Julian Weir (AquaBladz New Plymouth).
Open water: Liam Albery (Capital), Grace Sommerville (Ashburton).
Coaches: Craig Albery (Capital, Open Water), Gennadiy Labara (Neptune, Dunedin), Neville Sutton (Porirua City Aquatics), Team Leader: Donna Bouzaid.
