Ouwehand into her second final

The 26-year-old Aucklander raced through the first half of her semi-final and held on well to finish with 58.56s, which made her the seventh-fastest of the finalists. Her time in her heat had been 1min 00.33s, so her semi-final swim was a vast improvement.

The fastest semi-finalist was Australian Alex Perkins, who clocked 57.16s.

Ouwehand said it was always the plan to get out fast. 'My aim was to get out to a flyer in the first 50 metres then hold on for dear life! I’m super stoked to be in the final and glad I’ve got a bit of time now to recover and get ready for the final.'

The other New Zealand woman in a semi-final, Zoe Pedersen, didn't fare as well. Swimming in the super-competitive 100m freestyle, the Hibiscus Coast swimmer clocked 55.49s, which made her 12th fastest of the semi-finalists, but wasn't quick enough to get her into the final.

The fastest qualifier was Australian Mollie O'Callaghan with 53.29s.

Pedersen, 19, said afterwards: 'That was a competitive field. It’s still a bit surreal to be swimming at a Comm Games. I have to pinch myself. I’m out here swimming with team-mates I’ve looked up to for a long time and to know I have the country behind me is an awesome feeling.'