Kiwi wins gold at world junior swimming champs

New Zealand’s Zoe Pedersen has received gold on the junior world swimming championships in Romania, with a whirlwind end within the 50m butterfly closing.

Pedersen, 18, a Whangaparāoa College pupil who swims for the Coast Swim Club, was the quickest seed for the ultimate after breaking her personal New Zealand age document greatest within the semi-final on Friday.

In the ultimate, Pedersen had a giant margin to make up on Japan’s Mizuki Hirai, shifting into the highest three within the dying levels, however timing her cost with nice precision to win by a mere 0.03sec from Hiai, with Denmark’s Martine Dambourg third in 25.8-sec. Pedersen solely took the lead proper on the wall.

She lower 0.16 seconds from the 18-years New Zealand age document she had set within the semi-final, recording a brand new private greatest.

“I was just trying to stay calm. Normally, I get quite nervous and I overrate [over-pace], but I’ve been working with my coach a lot on staying calm and sticking to my race plan, so it’s really cool to see that actually happen,” stated Pedersen after claiming the gold.

“It’s been an epic day for myself and the whole team and I couldn’t be prouder. Standing behind the block I wanted to have fun and that’s exactly what I did. The competition’s not over yet but having the opportunity to light up the blocks has been epic and singing the national anthem was definitely the highlight.”

Pedersen’s coach and New Zealand group head coach, John Gatfield, stated Pedersen’s excellent effort was a testomony to the arduous work she had put in.

“To see her become a world junior champion is an incredible moment not just for her but for the whole team.”

Pedersen may also compete within the girls’s 50m freestyle occasion.

Two different Kiwi swimmers set new nationwide age data.

Monique Wieruszowski, from North Shore, timed in at 1:08.65s within the girls’s 100m breaststroke closing wherein she completed fifth. That was a brand new 18-years document, whereas Milan Glintmeyer, from the Coast membership, recorded 28.35sec within the girls’s in her girls’s 50m backstroke semi-final to set a 17-years New Zealand age document. She narrowly missed a spot within the closing.

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