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NZ medal at World University Games
Saturday, August 13th, 2005
New Zealand ended a 20 year medal drought at the World University Games with a second place swim in the women’s 4×100m relay early today.
Delegation captain Alison Fitch teamed with Helen Norfolk, Georgina Toomey and Te Rina Taite to finish 2.62sec behind the United States and a fingernail ahead of France in the final swum at 3.40am NZT.
It was New Zealand’s first podium finish at a Summer Universiade since Kiwi butterfly legend Anthony Mosse won the last of his four World University Games medals in Zagreb in 1985. Mosse had been the only Kiwi to medal at the Universiade which is the largest multi sport event outside the Olympics.
The Kiwi quartet clocked 3min 46.59s under a blazing sun at Manisa pool, 1.75s outside the New Zealand record set at the recent Fina world championships in Montreal.
University Sport New Zealand executive director Jim Ellis couldn’t have scripted a better opening day of competition for the Kiwis in Izmir.
“We’ve already gone a long way towards justifying the investment made by the New Zealand Academy Sport and Swimming New Zealand,” Ellis said. “Winning a medal has lifted the whole team and hopefully this is the start of something special…we couldn?t be more delighted.”
Moss Burmester earlier went some way toward avenging his indifferent form at the world championships to qualify for the 200m butterfly final in 1min 59.35s. Burmester eventually finished sixth in the final in a faster time of 1min 58.69s, 2.17s behind Polish winner Pawel Korzeniowski and just 0.56s outside the medals.
New Zealand’s memorable day in the pool spilled over to the soccer pitch where Macky Singh’s side rebounded from their opening 2-1 loss to Turkey to upset pool A favourites Chinese Taipei 2-0.
Aucklander Rebecaa Tegg scored in first half injury time and a minute before time to give New Zealand their first football win at a Universiade after Singh’s team finished 12th and last in their debut in Korea two years ago, “Chinese Taipei are ranked higher than New Zealand internationally and finished sixth at the Universiade two years ago so this is definitely a huge win for us - it’s given us a great chance of qualifying for the quarterfinals now,” said Singh.
New Zealand will need at least a point from their final qualification game against Ireland on Monday (NZT). Ireland drew 3-3 with Chinese Taipei in their first match.
Elsewhere, Canterbury fencer Andreas Sesun won two of his six bouts to reach the knockout phase of the men’s epee before being well beat by a Kazakstan fighter.
Auckland artistic gymnast Belinda Castles was 31st in the women’s all-round competition to be first reserve for the final.
New Zealand will return to the pool, volleyball court and gymnastics stadium (men’s) today while Warwick Foy and Dianne Hollands open their campaigns in the tennis tournament.
By KENT GRAY in TURKEY (Dominion Post)
