昨天晚上，在墨尔本举行的第18届英联邦运动会上，来自Massey University (Albany Campus)新西兰选手Moss Burmester为新西兰赢了个“开门红”，夺得了男子200米蝶泳的冠军。Moss Burmester是个兼职学生,学习Bachelor of Design. 他的胜利无疑对梅西学生有着极大的激励.
Mighty Moss overpowers Aussies to take gold for NZ
17.03.06
By David Leggat
Moss Burmester's timing was impeccable as he put a golden Kiwi stamp on the opening night of the Commonwealth Games swim meet last night.
The 24-year-old smashed the Games record when he produced the quickest 200m butterfly time of his life to win the gold medal and set New Zealand's campaign alight at the Melbourne Aquatic Centre.
The bespectacled Burmester clocked 1min 56.64s in a sensational display of power and control to blow away the race favourite, Australia's Travis Nederpelt. The old mark was 1min 56.95s set by Australian Justin Norris in Manchester four years ago.
Burmester, whose previous best time for the event was 1min 56.89s, is New Zealand's first Games swimming gold medallist since Danyon Loader at Victoria, Canada, 12 years ago.
The win continues a proud New Zealand tradition in the event. Burmester follows Dave Gerrard, Anthony Mosse and Loader who won the event at the 1966, 1986 and 1994 Games.
"It was the game plan to go out hard and come home hard," Burmester said last night. "I'd trained very hard for exactly that."
Head coach Jan Cameron suspects the Australians expected Burmester would start fast and fade, as had happened in last year's world championship race in Montreal. There, Burmester was on world-record pace before hitting the wall.
The only wall last night was the one Burmester erected round himself and it was impenetrable. He took Route One - no fancy tactics, just strong and consistent from start to finish in an utterly crushing performance.
He did admit the final 25m were tough.
"I was just feeling absolutely dead, but I was giving it everything on the way home because I knew I had to."
Burmester, ranked third in the Commonwealth and 13th in the world going into the race, was ahead of the field at the 50m mark and shut the door on his rivals.
Scottish swimmers won the first two golds of a meet Australia had assumed they would control. Burmester added to their misery. What Burmester didn't realise was that he had controlled the race from the first turn, led all the way and was over a second clear of Nederpelt and the third placegetter, Australia's Josh Krogh, when he turned for home.
Burmester, now training with the strong North Shore club after moving from Tauranga, remembered a tip he'd got from Mosse, who was in the stand watching.
"He told me to just keep my hips up and that will help bring me home. This is an awesome feeling."
Burmester was overwhelmed after the medal ceremony as his teammates assembled at poolside for an emotional haka.
"It was the most amazing haka I've ever seen and I hope it will inspire them as much as it did me."
The other New Zealander in the final, Andrew McMillan, finished fifth in 2min 00.61s, which considering he was just thrilled to be in the final was an outstanding result and added an extra touch of lustre to the race.
Cameron called it an expertly constructed race. It came after Nederpelt had given Burmester a beating in the morning heat, touching 2.51s in front.
As Burmester, draped in a New Zealand flag and carrying a fluffy kiwi, made his way round the pool, the gold hanging round his neck, he was greeted with hugs and high fives from teammates, friends and what the swimmer called "a big throng of Burmesters", including his mother Bronwyn, who received the flowers he'd been presented with on the dais.
New Zealand arrived in Melbourne quietly confident they were here to make a statement about their burgeoning swimming strength and last night Burmester delivered the message.
Earlier, Auckland's Nicola Chellingworth qualified for tonight's 50m butterfly final, having produced personal best times in both the morning heat and last night's semifinal.
Breaststroker Zoe Baker is into the 50m final and Scott Talbot-Cameron squeezed into tonight's 50m backstroke final, as eighth fastest qualifier
Moss Burmester of New Zealand wins gold and sets a new Games record in the pool.
17 Mar 06 10:32
Moss Burmester of New Zealand wins gold and sets a new Games record in the pool.The first day of competition, watched by approximately 110,000 sports mad fans, saw new Commonwealth Games records set in both Swimming and Cycling.
A total of ten gold medals were awarded, with Australia commanding an early position on the medal tally.
New Games records were set in the race for gold in the pool by New Zealand’s Moss Burmester in the Men’s 200m Butterfly and Scotland’s Caitlin McClatchey in the Women’s 200m Freestyle.
South Africa smashed the Games record set by Australia in Manchester in the Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay.
Australia won a total of 12 medals in four sports – three gold, five silver and four bronze. Stephanie Rice smashed the games record in Swimming with gold in the Women’s 200m Individual Medley and on the cycling track Anna Meares claimed the games record from her sister Kerry.
Anna is now the holder of both the commonwealth and world records. Also at the cycling, Ben Kersten claimed gold in the Men’s Individual Pursuit.
In non competition events, Festival Melbourne 2006 kicked off with a bang and over 10,000 people saw reggae superstar Jimmy Cliff performing at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
A total of 18 gold medals are up for grabs on the second day of competition. Athletes will be competing in 13 sports, with Netball, Boxing and Shooting events starting today.
The gold medal for Rugby 7s is decided today, and 6 gold medals will be awarded in the Shooting.
Australian gold medallists Ryan Bailey (Athens 2004 & Manchester 2002) and Katherine Bates (Manchester 2002) will take to the Cycling track to defend their medals.
In the pool, Australian golden girls Jodie Henry, Giaan Rooney and Libby Lenton will make a splash in the morning heats while Australian Leisel Jones will be swimming in the Women’s 100m Freestyle and defending the world record she set in January 2006.
With the Triathlon and Marathon events scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, competition will be spilling out of the venues and onto the streets of Melbourne.
Festival 2006 also moves out of the city, with a live site kicking off today at South Beach Reserve in St Kilda
Moss Burmester won gold for
NewZealand in the 200m Butterfly
Moss Burmester of New Zealand powered home in the men’s 200m butterfly final to beat Australia's Travis Nederpelt by half a body length.
Burmester broke the Games record with a time of 1:56.64.
Nederpelt took the silver with a time of 1:57.26 and Joshua Krough also of Australia came in with a time of 1:59.18 giving him the bronze.
Josh Krough said after the race, "This was my first international meet and first international medal. I'm disappointed with the time but I can learn a lot from it."
The crowd had a big New Zealand contingent who were thrilled with the gold medal finish.
