Olympic update for the weekend

Not too many Kiwis in action yesterday (especially as the rowing and yachting were cancelled due to the weather conditions). However in the pool Rodney swimmer Corney Swanepoel had an excellent heat in the 100m butterfly and has made it through to the semi-final of that event.

An excited Swanepoel said afterwards: "It felt great. It was only in the last few metres that I began tying up. "To set a New Zealand record and a personal best - and a big personal best at that - I couldn't ask for more than that in a heat swim." (source TVNZ Olympics website).

Born in South Africa, Corney is attending his second Olympic Games for NZ. He was 12th in the 100m butterfly at Athens, broke the New Zealand record over 100m butterfly at the Olympic trials and holds the 50m butterfly record. He was a semi-finalist over 100m butterfly at the World Championships last year. Check out more about Corney here.

Fellow swimmer and Rodney resident Melissa Ingram also made it through her heats in the 200m backstroke yesterday and will line up in the semi finals. "I'm rapt," she said later. "It's another PB and a New Zealand record. It's come from a lot of hard work in training, which is beginning to pay off. Check out Melissa's profile here at the TVNZ website or on the official NZ Olympics website.

Track and field kicks off today. And theres lots of action in and on the water with rowing, sailing and swimming. I will try to drop by with an update over the weekend.

Keep those messages of support rolling in. I emailed off to the Black Sticks yesterday and we have had a few messages for the swimmers as well. I know Kumeu Library are busy sending messages through to Jo Aleh who hails from their neck of the woods. But we want more! Stay safe and dry over the weekend.