Fourth medal for Ingram at the FINA World Cup

Melissa Ingram has won her fourth medal of the FINA World Cup, taking out gold in the 200m backstroke.

Matthew Stanley was second in the 400m freestyle and Glenn Snyders was third in the 50m breaststroke to complete a Kiwi sweep of the podium on the first day of the Tokyo leg.

Ingram won in a time of 2:05:39 to beat fellow Olympian Marie Kamimura of Japan. She led the whole way but by the slimmest of margins, just 1/100th of a second in front at the 150m mark before holding off the Japanese over the final 50m.

Stanley, 20, resumed his battle with American Michael Klueh in the 400m freestyle, after the New Zealander pipped him in the last round in Beijing.

He again started conservatively to be sixth after the 100m before working his way to third at the 350m mark. Stanley pushed into second but could not pip Klueh, finishing second in 3:42.21.

Snyders, who has four wins to his credit in the series, had to settle for third in the 50m breaststroke, won by Olympic medallist Christian Sprenger of Australia. Just 25/100ths of a second separated Sprenger, second place getter Yuuki Okajima and Snyders.

Toyko is the seventh of eight stops on the FINA World Cup circuit with the final stop in Singapore this the weekend.

- © Fairfax NZ News