Christchurch Swimmer on the Podium in Monaco

Christchurch swimmer Sophia Batchelor has grabbed her first podium placing in the prestigious Mare Nostrum swim series today.

The 16 year old has finished third in the 200m backstroke on the first day of the final leg of the series at Monaco.

The famed Mare Nostrum meets in Barcelona, Canet en Roussillon and Monaco attracted many of the world’s leading swimmers and Europe’s best, with Batchelor using the meets as invaluable preparation towards next month’s world championships in Shanghai.

The AquaGym club swimmer, coached by Leanne Speechley, has had an exhaustive programme following a strenuous two-week endurance training camp in Spain.

She was fifth fastest in heats of the 200m backstroke before finishing third in the final, clocking 2:15.22 behind the meet record from Japan’s Shiho Sakai and multi world and Olympic champion Kirsty Coventry.

Batchelor has another busy day. She was also 13th fastest in heats of the 50m butterfly in 28.98 before lowering that time to 28.56 to be 12th fastest in the semifinals. She clocked 30.85 in heats of the 50m backstroke and was 12th fastest in the semifinals in 30.26, and clocked 27.83 in heats of the 50m freestyle.

The series finishes tonight in Monaco.

Final result, 200m backstroke: Shiho Sakai (Japan) 2:07.74, 1 (Meet Record); Kirsty Coventry (Zimbabwe) 2:11.57, 2; Sophia Batchelor (New Zealand) 2:15.22, 3.