Hunter leads charge for gold

Last week 14 Manawatu swimmers competed at the SNZ division two competition in Rotorua. The team came home with nine gold medals, nine silver medals and seven bronze medals.

The golden boy of this meet was Michan Hunter from the Palmerston North Amateur Swimming Club (PNASC) who won six gold medals from seven events.

Hunter is an experienced campaigner, having attended the division one New Zealand age group championships in previous years, and he will again represent Manawatu at this meet in Wellington later this month.

Hunter set impressive personal best times for the season on his way to gold in Rotorua.

Other swimmers to win gold were Katie Kerins in the 50m and 100m backstroke for 15-year-old women; and Jimi Aungiers in the 200m freestyle for 16-18 year old men. Both swimmers represent Levin Swimming Club.

A total of nine silver medals were won by the team.

Levin swimmers winning silvers were: Hayley Duggan in the 14-year-old girls 50m butterfly, and Katie Kerins in the 15-yearold girls 100m freestyle; and Jimi Aungiers in the 16-18 year old men’s 200m individual medley.

Dannevirke swimmer Chelsea Parlato won two silver medals in the 16-18-year-old women’s 400m individual medley and 200m butterfly while team-mate Stacey Gunn won silver in the 16-18 year old women’s 100m butterfly.

PNASC swimmer Charlotte Thompson won silver in the 15-year-old girls 100m and 200m breaststroke, with younger brother Jacob Thompson taking silver in the 14-year-old boys 50m breaststroke.

Seven bronze medals were won by the team.

Ashleigh Gunn of Dannevirke won bronze in the 12-13-year-old girls 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle, as did Levin swimmers Hayley Duggan, in the 50m freestyle, and Jimi Aungiers in the 16-18-year-old men’s 100m butterfly.

PNASC’S Jacob Thompson won bronze in the 14-year-old boys 100m and 200m breaststroke and the 200m freestyle.

There were several first-time campaigners at this event including: Ashleigh Gunn and Chelsea Parlato from Dannevirke, Isabella Meta from Dolphin and Maraea Graham from Feilding, Hana Kerins from Levin, and Jacob Thompson from PNASC.

In her first Swimming New Zealand (SNZ) competition, Gunn also qualified for the up-coming division one NZ age group championships.

Other swimmers to make qualifying times for the NZ age group championships were Aungiers and Kerins (Levin), and Charlotte and Jacob Thompson (PNASC).

These swimmers will join Hunter in Wellington for the championships next week.