Kiwis banking on young swimmers to make golden splash in Delhi CWG pool

NEW DELHI - The Kiwis are banking on its young swimmers to win some medals in the Delhi Commonwealth Games.

According to The Dominion Post, four 20-year-old swimmers would be taking part in the games, which are starting from October 3.

Wellington swimmer Gareth Kean, who turns 20 on Tuesday, would take part the 100m and 200m backstroke. He is ranked 14th in the world in the 200m backstroke, but crucially, third in the Commonwealth.

Kean has said that his coach Gary Hurring, one of New Zealand’s greatest backstrokers who won gold at the 1978 Games, has had a huge impact on his swimming career.

“I am well aware of the history. Unfortunately he can’t come to Delhi. But I know what he would have said to me before the race, so I can go ahead and tell it to myself,” Kean said.

Daniel Bell, the former junior world champion, who made a splash at the Beijing Olympics, would not only compete in the same events but also swim in the 50m dash.

Twenty-year-old Emily Thomas from Gisborne is the other aspiring swimmer that New Zealand are looking upto. She had won a bronze in the 50m backstroke at the Pan Pacific championship last month.(ANI)