ISLE FILE
Swim meet records fall in Kalani qualifying

Advertiser Staff

While one Hawai'i high-school swimmer was winning two silver medals 5,000 miles away, three were setting records at home yesterday.

Punahou junior Noa Sakamoto, swimming for Team USA in the Australian Youth Olympic Festival at Sydney, won silver medals for second place in the 400-meter freestyle today and in the 4x200 freestyle relay yesterday.

Meanwhile, in the 32-school Kalani Invitational qualification heats at Kalani High on O'ahu yesterday, Iolani junior Mark Eckert, Seabury Hall junior Randall Tom and Kapolei freshman Meredith Egloria broke three of the 26-year-old meet's best records.

At Sydney, Sakamoto finished second in 3 minutes, 56.81 seconds today in the 400 freestyle. Yesterday, he swam 1:53.26 on the leadoff leg of USA's second-place 4x200 relay team.

At Kalani, Eckert's time of 1:41.71 broke the 200-yard freestyle record of 1:42.46 set by George Steuer of Leilehua 20 years ago. Tom swam 50.68 in the 100 butterfly to break the record of 50.91 set two years ago by Nick Borreca of Punahou. And Egloria clipped 7/100ths off the girls 100 backstroke mark, clocking 59.44 to erase the 59.51 by Kim Ono of Iolani two years ago.

At Sydney today, Sakamoto also swam the lead leg on Team USA's B 400 freestyle relay team, which finished fourth. His 100-yard time was 52.86.

And Iolani senior Hongzhe Sun finished third in the consolation final of the 100-meter butterfly in 57.19. In trials he was eighth in 56.50.

Sakamoto and Sun were among 31 swimmers nationwide chosen for Team USA.

Finals in the Kalani Invitational will start at 2 p.m. today. Diving will be held at Kaimuki High at 9 a.m. Admission is free.

Five hundred swimmers from 32 high schools were entered — a total of 1,026 entries — in trials yesterday that lasted more than six hours.

TOW-IN SURFING

Waves too small; exhibition held: Waves were not quite big enough to run the Tow-In World Cup yesterday, but with all the competitors gathered on Maui, an exhibition "expression session" was completed.

Traditional wave heights were in the 12- to 15-foot range — about 10 feet too small to run the actual contest — at Pe'ahi, Maui, a spot also known as "Jaws."

Garrett McNamara of O'ahu and new partner Ikaika Kalama of the Big Island were the top performers of the expression session. They were judged to have the best overall wave and the best barrel ride. They split $7,000 for their performance.

McNamara won last year's inaugural Tow-In World Cup with partner Rodrigo Resende of Brazil.

Dan Moore of O'ahu and Mark Anderson of Maui won $3,000 for the best maneuver.

Each team consisted of two men. While one operated the thrillcraft, the other was towed into the wave by holding on to a rope attached to the back of the thrillcraft.

Each member of the team had to alternate positions, meaning both had to know how to operate the thrillcraft and surf the big waves.

Contest officials have until the end of February to run the actual event.