Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Neo Salomonsson has made waves knocking off Otago age group and open records and collecting national age group titles for fun in recent years. That sort of form does not go unnoticed by those keeping a watchful eye, earning Salomonsson national selection for the Junior Pan Pacific championships in Vancouver this week. “I’m a bit excited and quite a bit nervous for it as well,’’ Salomonsson said. “This would be the biggest competition so far for me.’’ The Otago Boys’ swimmer is the only Otago swimmer in the 18-strong national squad, who were at the University of British Columbia for a training camp last week in preparation. Salomonsson is in for a busy campaign, competing in the 50m and 100m butterfly, the 100m freestyle and the men’s and mixed 4x100m relay teams. It is a big ask for the 17-year-old, who has to self-fund the trip, after qualifying by hitting the exact time “to the hundredth of a second at New Zealand opens’’. “Mostly, I’m just willing to get the race experience and seeing if I can try to make one or two finals.’’ It has already been a big six months for the Kiwi swimmer, who holds the Otago open 50m butterfly record and the national age group 100m butterfly record. He won double gold in the 17-18 years 50m and 100m butterfly and double bronze in the open and 17-18 years 200m butterfly at the national championships. Salomonsson — alongside Otago swimmer Alfie Weatherston Harvey — was named in the New Zealand Black team to compete at the Tri Series in Karratha, Western Australia in July. Team Black won the series, which involves swimmers racing for points for their team, ending Victoria’s three-year reign as champions, and Salomonsson finished second overall for the men’s top point-scorer. “It was pretty cool,’’ Salomonsson said. Salomonsson, who is in the pool six times a week, started swimming when he was 10 and quickly rose through the ranks. “For me it’s just the challenge of swimming butterfly and trying to race others who are doing the same distance. “I just enjoy the technical side of it and also how demanding it is if you have the wrong technique.’’ He is under the tutelage of renowned Dunedin coach Lars Humer, who helps iron out any kinks in his technique. “It’s very beneficial — especially the butterfly sets that he’s helping me with,’’ Salomonsson said of Humer. He has also been selected in the New Zealand youth development squad and will head to Queensland for a training camp and competition in December. Fellow Dunedin swimmer Caitlin Deans wrapped up an impressive Pan Pacific senior championships campaign in California. Deans finished fifth in the women’s 1500m freestyle in a personal best, and Otago record, time of 16min 7.44sec The Neptune swimmer also ticked off a personal best in the women’s 800m freestyle in 8min 26.21sec to finish seventh. She lowered her previous best time by more than 2sec and recorded the fastest time of the morning heats. Former Dunedin swimmer Erika Fairweather picked up bronze in the women’s 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle. She equalled former New Zealand swimmer Lauren Boyle’s record for the most individual medals won by a Kiwi at a single Pan Pacific championships set in 2014. • Rotorua swimmer Ariel Muchirahondo opened the Junior Pan Pacific championships in style on Tuesday. He set a New Zealand age group record on his way to claiming silver in the men’s 100m backstroke.
