Kane Follows. Photo: photosport
Dunedin swimmer Kane Follows has snuck under a 12-year-old national 200m backstroke record and clocked an Olympic qualifying time at the national championships in Hastings.
Follows touched the wall in Friday night's final in 1min 57.13sec to go two-hundredths of a second under the time set by Gareth Kean at the 2012 nationals.
It was also 0.37sec under the time needed to qualify for the Paris Games, rewarding a long period of perseverance for the 24-year-old teacher.
"This has been a grind, I've missed a lot of teams but I've stuck at it, I've given so much to the sport and it feels so good to get this result," he said.
"Sport is a lot of ups and downs but it's all worth it for this feeling, I've really enjoyed this week, racing with my mates and this is the most fun I've had in a long time."
Follows joined Cameron Gray in completing a national record-Paris qualifier double on Friday.
Cameron Gray. Photo: photosport
Twenty-year-old Gray achieved it in the heats of the men's 100m freestyle, flying home in 48.26sec to smash Lewis Clareburt's three-year-old mark by 0.70sec.
An ecstatic Gray yelled and hit the water in celebration as the crowd gave a standing ovation.
"I can't quite believe it," Gray said.
"I was feeling pretty good down the first 50, in the last 50 I knew it was going to be close, knew I was going to be on, so just went for it.
"I'm looking forward to a bit of a rest after this and then I'll be back into getting ready for a big few months."
Cameron Leslie also excelled in the heats, swimming a Paralympic qualifying time in the S4 100m freestyle, touching the wall in 1min 25.86sec.