Grainger win Gold at Surf Swim Champs

Oct. 5, 2007

St Clair Surf Life Saving Club claimed its first National Title at the Surf Life Saving New Zealand Nationals Swim Championships at Kilbirnie pool in Wellington over the weekend.

Michelle Grainger won St Clair’s, and Otago’s, first gold medal with a National best time in the under 19 women’s 100m Manikin Tow with Fins. The fastest qualifier for the final Grainger bettered that time by 3 seconds to record 1.10.42 in the final with a skillful securing of the Manikin with the rescue tube and a powerful 50m return swim that left the field in her wake.

The Manikin tow was the St Clair clubs strongest event with Rhys Applegarth taking silver in the under 19 men’s with all St Clair swimmers contesting the finals. Michelle Grainger also collected bronze in the 50m swim with Fins and the 100m swim with obstacles. Rhys Applegarth won individual bronze in the 200m swim with obstacles.

In the team events St Clair took Bronze in the Open Women’s 4 x 25m Manikin Relay, with under 16 swimmer Elle joining Michelle Grainger and the Laughton sisters Carla and Stephanie. The Under 19 men of Chris Guild, Sam McCutcheon, Peter McMillan and Rhys Applegarth took bronze in the same event. Top St Clair Iron Man Sam McCutcheon made a determined appearance on the last day of the event after spending time in Hospital with an infection and missing the first two days competition. In his absence Kieran Applegarth, in his first year of Under 16 competition, combined with brother Rhys, Peter McMillan and Chris Guild to take Silver in the under 19 Men’s 4 x 50m Obstacle Race and Bronze in the under 19 Men’s Medaly Relay.

The St Clair team, a recent winner of the South Island Championships, was slightly weakened by late withdrawals, the most notable being Andrew McMillan to allow him to concentrate on Olympic qualifying. However the team finished strongly with a number of finals appearances on the last day that saw it finish eighth of the 25 clubs and the top South Island club. Wellingtons Lyall Bay was the overall winner.

The Pool Nationals saw the 460 swimmers competing in 25 to 200 meter races. The addition of obstacle gates, Manikins to replicate a patient and large fibre glass fins to aid in under water swimming and the towing of the up to 45kg Manikin test Life Guarding skills. Still relatively new to Surf Life Saving Competition the Swim Championships now produces the best Life Guard swimmers in the World with recent New Zealand team victories over leading European and Australian teams.

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