World s/c champion Lauren Boyle, North Shore, claimed a brace of victories on day 5 at New Zealand nationals in Auckland, an 8:23.11 over 800m free joined by a 55.75 effort at the helm of the 100m freestyle final.

Those two wins gave her a clean sweep of all freestyle events from 100m to 1500m, a national record of 16:16 delivered in the longest event for women in the pool and a distance that may soon replace the 800m on the Olympic programme and bring women and men in line in the pool at the Games for the first time in history.

Neither the 100m free nor the 4x100m free will feature a Kiwi at Barcelona world championships this summer, after Tash Hind, Capital, and Hayley Palmer, led four 56s-plus efforts, their combined times well shy of the 8th place at the London 2012 Olympic Games: Sweden was disqualified at London 2012, leaving the slowest time in the final at 3:37.96, while the slowest qualification time for the final was a joint 3:38.21.

In the 800m, Boyle raced lonely out front, the minor spoils going to Emma Robinson, Capital, on 8:42.01, and TSS Aquatic's Bonnie Macdonald, on 8:45.20.

In other action, Glenn Snyders, California-base North Shore club member, clocked 2:12.52 to win the 200m breaststroke and Gareth Kean, Capital, claimed the 200m backstroke in 1:58.39 ahead of a 2:00.12 efforts from Kurt Crosland, Neptune. Like Boyle, Snyders and Kean added to their Barcelona world-title schedules, racing inside the target times set by Swimming New Zealand. 

There was no qualifier in the 200m breaststroke for women, the national crown going to Abbie Johnston, 16 and racing for AquaGym, in 2:33.13.