5 Ladies’s Storylines to Comply with on the Pan Pacific Championships; Gretchen Walsh Chasing Sub-54
One of many yr’s greatest worldwide meets is nearly right here, the Pan Pacific Championships set to run from August 12-15. Will probably be the primary version of Pan Pacs since 2018 and, together with the Commonwealth Video games, European Championships and Asian Video games, is among the many high-profile competitions of 2026. Held in Irvine, California, the meet will function a midway marker of types to the 2028 Olympic Video games in Los Angeles
Olympic champions Summer season McIntosh and Katie Ledecky will headline the ladies’s motion and are anticipated to satisfy within the 400-meter freestyle, which can even embrace Australian Lani Pallister. Moreover, the main target will likely be on Gretchen Walsh in a number of occasions, particularly the 100 butterfly, the place she is the one girl in historical past to interrupt the 55-second barrier and is now stalking a sub-54 efficiency.
Listed here are 5 preliminary storylines to comply with in ladies’s motion:
Kate Douglass Chasing Sub-25 in 50 Butterfly
The flexibility of Kate Douglass will power the American star to make a number of program selections throughout the course of Pan Pacs. Nonetheless, it’s probably she’ll open the meet with the 50 butterfly, since it’s the kickoff occasion and doesn’t battle with any of her different entries. If Douglass certainly races the 50 fly, she’ll have the possibility to affix an unique membership.
Solely Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom and america’ Gretchen Walsh have damaged the 25-second barrier within the 50 fly, with Sjostrom holding the world document at 24.43 and Walsh proudly owning the American mark at 24.51. Collectively, they’ve mixed for 29 sub-25 performances, an illustration of their dominance within the one-lap occasion. Can Douglass develop into the third sub-25 performer in historical past?
Douglass presently sits because the No. 8 performer of all-time within the 50 fly, tied with Dutchwoman Ranomi Kromowidjojo and Denmark’s Jeanette Ottesen. All three ladies have been 25.24 within the occasion, Douglass producing her time earlier this yr on the Fort Lauderdale Open. That swim was adopted by a world document of 23.59 within the 50 freestyle (since damaged by Walsh at 23.55) and a 51.93 within the 100 freestyle.
Given Douglass’ latest type, there’s little doubt she is able to delivering a 24-point effort within the 50 fly. It could be a sensational approach to jumpstart her Pan Pacs program.
Aussie Relay Streak in Jeopardy
Heading into Pan Pacs, Australia has received each 400 freestyle relay title in main worldwide competitors since 2019. Properly, there’s a caveat to that assertion. The Dolphins didn’t win the gold medal within the occasion on the 2024 World Championships, however that competitors was evenly attended from a starpower standpoint, and Australia didn’t ship a totally loaded squad to the meet in Doha.
In any other case, Australia has emerged triumphant on the previous two Olympic Video games (2020/2024) and the World Championships in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2025. However the 400 freestyle relay that Australia will ship to the blocks in Southern California just isn’t of the identical caliber, for quite a lot of causes. For one, Emma McKeon retired after the final Olympics. In the meantime, Shayna Jack simply hung up her goggles after the Commonwealth Video games and Mollie O’Callaghan has withdrawn from Pan Pacs with a again damage.
Meg Harris and Alex Perkins will likely be dependable for Australia, however america will discipline a staff as robust as any in its historical past. Even with American-record holder Anna Moesch not on the Pan Pacs roster, Crew USA will be capable to use some mixture of Kate Douglass, Torri Huske, Gretchen Walsh, Simone Manuel and Rylee Erisman. All have been sub-53 throughout their careers.
If america performs to its potential, Australia will probably see its streak within the 400 freestyle relay come to an finish.
Agostina Hein a Multi-Occasion Risk
Picture Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
The discharge of the entry lists for Pan Pacs confirmed the participation of Argentina’s Agostina Hein, a rising star within the sport. Finally yr’s World Junior Championships, the 18-year-old received gold within the 400 particular person medley and took silver within the 800 freestyle. Hein is entered in 4 occasions, the 400 IM, 400 freestyle, 200 IM and 800 freestyle. As a result of the final two occasions are scheduled for the ultimate day of the meet, Hein will probably deal with one.
Pan Pacs will provide an opportunity for the Argentine expertise to showcase her growth on the halfway level to the 2028 Olympic Video games in Los Angeles. Hein holds a profession better of 4:34.34 within the 400 medley, the mark that earned her the world junior crown. She has clocked private bests this season within the 400 freestyle (4:02.99), the 200 IM (2:10.63) and the 800 freestyle (8:22.01), so Hein appears poised for a finest effort within the 400 IM.
Will the South American land on any podiums throughout the four-day meet? That sort of outing could be an enormous achievement for the teenager.
Hold an Eye on Yu Yiting
China is sending a small squad to Pan Pacs, not a shock for the reason that Asian Video games are scheduled for September in Tokyo and that competitors will likely be of utmost significance. Main the way in which for the Chinese language Federation is Yu Yiting, the multi-event standout who set an Asian document within the 200 particular person medley in June. On the Nationwide Championships, Yu cracked the two:07 barrier, producing a time of two:06.82.
Yu is listed on the psych sheets in six occasions and whereas she received’t contest every of her entries, she has a variety of choices to gas her preparation for the Asian Video games. Clearly, it could be entertaining to see Yu within the 200 IM, which might imply a conflict with Canadian star and Olympic champion Summer season McIntosh and Olympic silver medalist Kate Douglass. That remaining may additionally characteristic Alex Walsh, a 2020 Olympic medalist and three-time medalist within the occasion on the World Championships.
Different probably entries for Yu are the 100 butterfly, the place she’s been 56-mid, and the 400 IM, the place she possesses a profession better of 4:35.44.
Gretchen Walsh’s Pursuit of One other Realm
When Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom popped a world document of 55.48 to win gold within the 100 butterfly on the 2016 Olympic Video games in Rio de Janeiro, the efficiency was monumental. Sjostrom stays the No. 2 performer of all-time within the occasion, a sign of how her mark was forward of its time. However america’ Gretchen Walsh has merely taken the occasion to a different stratosphere, and has plans to go to one other galaxy.
Earlier this yr, on the Fort Lauderdale Open, Walsh took the world-record within the 100 fly right down to 54.33. That was greater than a quarter-second quicker than her prior world commonplace, the 54.60 she recorded in the identical pool a yr earlier (town has been good to the American). Walsh has gone sub-55 on 5 events and he or she now owns the 16-fastest occasions ever produced within the 100 fly.
However Walsh is on the lookout for a bit extra, a time others can solely dream of manufacturing. The 23-year-old is looking for to interrupt the 54-second barrier. Walsh is already 1.15 seconds quicker than anybody else and if her expertise leads her into 53-second territory, the hole could be virtually unbelievable. The 100 butterfly is scheduled for Day Three of Pan Pacs, and there’s no doubt it will likely be surrounded by hype.
