NAGS & NZ Opens

NAGS

National Age Groups in Wellington was the peaking point for our senior team with Josh, Grace, Nick, Lars, Matt, Sid and Harriet flying the Sundevils flag. As a team of NAGS newbies (only Josh and Matt before), the results were outstanding. Top 10 finishes for Nick, Grace and Lars on their first go round. Matt who is one of the most consistent trainers and racers I’ve ever come across in the sport, finally managed to get his monkey off his back and nab that first national medal with a bronze in the 50 bk. I think he’d had about a billion 4th place finishes over the years! Josh stepped up as the old head on the team, picking up bronze in the 50 back, and a hard earned and well deserved 50 free NZ title. Always pretty satisfying to be the fastest swimmer at a meet, let alone a national one. One length of freestyle determines that one…

 NZ OPENS

Last meet away for us was Josh and Nick up in Auckland and NZ Opens. For Nick it was his first open level meet, so to get up there and smash a half second 50 fly PB was outstanding. Josh having had a taste of a B final at last years Olympic trials, went up there looking to crack his first A final…and he certainly did that coming home as 5th NZer in that 50 free A final. That final featured 2x world champs qualifiers in that event. It just shows the level Josh is now competing at as a very young man in the sprinting world where older swimmers generally have the upper hand. Our Aussie based, HB born and bred Julian Layton picked up a gold, silver and bronze in 200, 100 and 50 br. His gold in 200br was particular vindication after a few lean years in terms of good times, and was a great show of persistence and ability to overcome mental and physical hurdles to nail a pb of 2.12 (that is super fast!!).