2026 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day 1 Finals Heat Sheet
Welcome to the first finals session of the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships!
The prelims session already saw a number of Championship records fall, and there are likely more to come in tonight’s finals session along with a few potential world records.
The women’s 50 fly will see Gretchen Walsh as the top seed in 24.91 by just eight hundredths over Virginia teammate Kate Douglass‘s 24.99 in 2nd. The two have been setting American and world records left and right this season, and Walsh could seriously challenge the 50 fly world record tonight.
In the men’s 50 fly, Ben Armbruster is the top seed, also with a Championship record by four hundredths over Brazil’s Gui Caribe. Americans Van Mathias and Michael Andrew were also within a tenth of Armbruster in prelims and the win could go to any of the four.
The women’s 200 freestyle prelims were very close and favorite Summer McIntosh qualified 4th overall and will be swimming in lane six tonight. She sits behind Australian Lani Pallister, New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather, and American Anna Peplowski.
Luke Hobson picked up the 3rd Championship record of the prelims session in the men’s 200 freestyle, stopping the clock in 1:44.31 to earn the top seed by seven tenths over Gabriel Jett‘s 1:45.04.
In the women’s 100 backstroke, Regan Smith unsurprisingly picked up the top seed in a new meet record of 57.86. She was the only swimmer sub-58 and she will be the heavy favorite to win tonight, potentially in a new world record.
Canada’s Blake Tierney and American Will Modglin were very close in the men’s 100 backstroke prelims with Tierney earning the top seed in 53.13, four hundredths over Modglin’s 53.17 in 2nd.
The Americans dominated the women’s 200 fly prelims with Alex Shackell and Tess Howley earning the top seeds in 2:06.68 and 2:07.13. Brittany Castelluzzo will be the next seeded swimmer in the final after she swam 2:09.27 in prelims.
Luca Urlando led the men’s 200 fly prelims in 1:54.13, six tenths ahead of fellow American Carson Foster and seven tenths ahead of Australian Harrison Turner.
The men’s 800 freestyle is a timed final event, but it will see Sam Short and Bobby Finke race for the first time this meet as the only two favorites to win.
Katie Ledecky is the top seed in the women’s 1500 free, and while she has some races this week that could, and likely will, go to somebody else, this is not one of them. Ledecky is the heavy favorite, and she has been nipping at her 2018 world record all season.
The final event of the session will be the mixed 4×100 medley relay where Australia and the United States will be battling for the gold, but the full-strength United States will probably win and could break their own world record.
WOMEN’S 50 BUTTERFLY – Finals
Top 8 Finishers
Gretchen Walsh (USA) — 24.65 *New Championship Record
Kate Douglass (USA) — 25.06
Taylor Ruck (CAN) — 25.23
Alexandria Perkins (AUS) — 25.34
Erin Gallagher (RSA) — 25.43
Rikako Ikee (JPN) — 25.96
Zoe Pedersen (NZL) — 26.45
Leilani Fack (CAN) — 26.63
Gretchen Walsh picked up her 2nd championship record in as many races in the women’s 50 fly final, stopping the clock in 24.65 to take a little under three tenths off her prelims record time of 24.91.
Walsh was a little more than a tenth off her lifetime best, American Record, and U.S. Open record time of 24.51 from the United States Nationals at the end of August, but her swim was still faster than anyone else in the world has been this season.
Fellow American Kate Douglass finished 2nd in 25.06, slightly off her prelims best time of 24.99. Her swim was just one hundredth slower than Sarah Sjostrom swam on the other side of the world to win the European Championships title earlier today.
Canada’s Taylor Ruck took 3rd in a massive new Canadian Record time of 25.23. She took four tenths off the 25.61 mark she set in the prelims, which was a tenth faster than her pre-meet best of 25.71 from last summer’s World Championships.
The ‘B’ final went to New Zealand’s Hazel Ouwehand in 26.13, seven hundredths ahead of American Torri Huske, who stopped the clock in 26.20. OUwehand has a lifetime best of 25.43 while Huske has been 25.33.
MEN’S 50 BUTTERFLY – Finals
Top 8 Finishers
Ben Armbruster (AUS) — 22.75
Van Mathias (USA) — 22.84
Gui Caribe (BRA) — 22.88
Michael Andrew (USA) — 22.99
Isaac Cooper (AUS) — 23.02
Finlay Knox (CAN) — 23.39
Calvyn Justus (RSA) — 23.44
Shoon Mitsunga (JPN) — 23.63
Ben Armbruster picked up Australia’s first medal of the meet, swimming 22.75 to set the top time in the men’s 50 butterfly and take down his own meet record of 22.92 from prelims.
Armbruster’s time was just two hundredths off the Australian record of 22.73, which he holds in a three-way tie with Kyle Chalmers and Matt Targett.
American Van Mathias took 2nd in 22.84, a three hundredth drop from the 22.87 mark he set in June.
Brazil’s Gui Caribe finished 3rd in 22.88, a three hundredth drop from the 22.91 he swam to finish 7th in the 50 fly final at last summer’s World Championships.
American Santo Condorelli won the ‘B’ final in 23.03, which would have been 6th in the ‘A’ final, but would still have been the 3rd fastest American behind Mathias and Michael Andrew, who finished 4th in 22.99
WOMEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – Finals
Top 8 Finishers
Lani Pallister (AUS) — 1:53.67 **New Championship Record
Summer McIntosh (CAN) — 1:53.86
Erika Fairweather (NZL) — 1:55.05
Anna Peplowski (USA) — 1:55.94
Milla Jansen (AUS) — 1:56.64
Erin Gemmell (USA) — 1:56.88
Maria Fernanda Costa (BRA) — 1:57.25
Stephanie Balduccini (BRA) — 1:58.41
Lani Pallister had a monster swim in the women’s 200 freestyle, swimming 1:53.67, coming just two hundredths off her lifetime best of 1:53.65 which she set at the Australian Trials in June.
Pallister took the lead early, splitting 26.71 to sit four hundredths ahead of Summer McIntosh‘s 26.75 in 2nd place.
McIntosh briefly took over the lead at the 100 mark , swimming 28.63 on the 2nd 50 to turn in 55.38. Pallister split 28.79 to flip in 55.50, a little over a tenth back.
Pallister moved back into the lead at the 150 mark, swimming 29.34 to turn in 1:24.84 just under a tenth ahead of McIntosh’s 1:24.93 (29.55). On the final 50, Pallister swam 28.83, the fastest in the field, to grab the win over McIntosh, who split 28.93 to finish 2nd in 1:53.86.
McIntosh added two tenths from her best of 1:53.65, which she set in July of 2023.
New Zealand’s Erika Fairweather stopped the clock in 1:55.05, a new National record time by one hundredth from the 1:55.06 she swam in May of 2026.
Australia’s Inez Miller won the ‘B’ final in a massive lifetime best of 1:55.60. This swim took almost a second off her previous best of 1:56.41 from the Australian Trials.
MEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – Finals
Top 8 Finishers
Luke Hobson (USA) — 1:43.85 **New Championship Record
Gabriel Jett (USA) — 1:43.96
Zhang Zhanshou (CHN) — 1:44.89
Tatsuya Murasa (JPN) — 1:44.76
Kai Taylor (AUS) — 1:46.11
Maximillian Giuliani (AUS) — 1:46.67
Katsuhiro Matsumoto (JPN) — 1:46.87
Ethan Ekk (CAN) — 1:47.22
Luke Hobson picked up the 4th meet record of the session, swimming 1:43.85 in the men’s 200 freestyle to set the top time by a tenth over Gabriel Jett‘s massive 1:43.96 lifetime best.
Hobson got out fast, turning exactly tied with world record pace at the 100 mark. He swam 23.90/25.22 over the first two 59s to turn in 50.12, four tenths ahead of China’s Zhang Zhanshou who swam 50.51 (24.18/26.34) to turn in 2nd. Jett swam 24.66/26.19 to turn 4th in 50.85.
On the 3rd 50, Hobson fell off the pace a bit, splitting 26.64. Jett moved into 2nd after he split 26.69 and Zhang dropped to 3rd with his 27.10 split.
The final 50 saw Jett nearly catch Jobson, splitting a monster 26.42, but he fell just shy of Hobson’s 27.09 for the win.
Hobson’s lifetime best is 1:43.73 from the 2025 U.S. Nationals, while Jett took almost a full second off his previous best of 1:44.70 from the same meet. He becomes just the 8th man in history to break 1:44.
Zhang finished 3rd in 1:44.89 after splitting 26.97 on the final 50. HIs lifetime best stands at 1:44.53 from the China Open in March.
The United States’ Aaron Shackell won the ‘B’ final in 1:45.63, which would have been 5th in the top eight.
WOMEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – Finals
World Record: 57.13, Regan Smith (USA) – 2024
U.S. Open Record: 57.13, Regan Smith (USA) – 2024
Pan Pac Championship Record: 57.86, Regan Smith (USA) — 2026
Top 8 Finishers
Katharine Berkoff (USA) — 57.93
Regan Smith (USA) — 58.11
Taylor Ruck (CAN) — 58.40
Iona Anderson (AUS) — 59.53
Ingrid Wilm (CAN) — 59.82
Hannah Fredericks (AUS) — 1:00.05
Wan Letian(CHN) — 1:00.21
Yu Yi (CHN) — 1:00.23
The women’s 100 backstroke was the first race of the session where there was not a new meet record set. Katharine Berkoff won the event in 57.93, about seven hundredths off Regan Smith‘s prelims record time of 57.86.
Berkoff started the race in 2nd, turning in 28.31 to sit about three hundredths behind Taylor Ruck‘s 28.28 in the lead. Smith turned 3rd in 28.47.
On the 2nd 50, Berkoff swam 29.62, the fastest closing 50 in the field, to set the top time of 57.93. This was a tenth off her lifetime best of 57.83 from the 2024 Olympic Trials.
Smith split 29.64 on the final 50 to stop the clock in 58.11, two tenths behind Berkoff.
Ruck swam 30.12 on the final 50 to win her 2nd medal of the session in 58.40. This was just off her lifetime best of 58.37 from the Canadian Trials last month.
Claire Curzan won the ‘B’ final in 58.24, which would have been 3rd individually. This was just off her lifetime best 58.21 from the prelims.
MEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – Finals
Top 8 Finishers
Blake Tierney (CAN) — 53.18
Will Modglin (USA) — 53.37
Jack Aikins (USA) — 53.46
Marcus Reyes Gentry (MEX) — 54.04
Hidekazu Takehara (JPN) — 54.33
Kodai Nishiono (JPN) — 54.51
Raben Dommann (CAN) — 55.01
Jack Harvey (BER) — 55.16
The men’s 100 backstroke was another very exciting event with the race coming down the the final 15 meters. Ultimately Canada’s Blake Tierney came out on top, stopping the clock in 53.18 to finish about two tenths ahead of Will Modglin‘s 53.37 in 2nd place.
Moglin was out fast, splitting 25.40 on the opening 50 to turn three tenths ahead of Tierney’s 25.72 in 2nd. Fellow American Jack Aikins turned in 3rd at 24.89.
Tierney came back hard, catching and passing Modglin with just a few strokes to go in the final 50. He ended up splitting 27.46 to earn the win over Modglin’s 27.97. Tierney holds the Canadian record in the event at 52.95, while Modglin’s best is 52.54 from last summer.
Aikins split 27.57 on his final 50 to stop the clock in 53.46, nearly catching Modglin as well. His lifetime best stands at 52.74 from the 2024 Olympic Trials.
The ‘B’ final went to American Daniel Diehl in 53.67 (26.10/27.57). His personal best is 52.94 from last July.
WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – Finals
Top 8 Finishers
Brittany Castelluzzo (AUS) — 2:06.24
Elizabeth Dekkers (AUS) — 2:06.56
Tess Howley (USA) — 2:07.43
Chiho Mizuguchi (JPN) — 2:08.40
Alex Shackell (USA) — 2:08.70
Misa Okuzono (JPN) — 2:09.60
Yasmin Silva (PER) — 2:13.72
Applejean Gwinn (TPE) — 2:19.86
Australia picked up a 1-2 finish in the women’s 200 butterfly with Brittany Castelluzzo setting the top time of 2:06.24 and Elizabeth Dekkers swimming 2:06.56 for 2nd.
The two Aussies swam very different races with Castelluzzo taking the lead from the first 50, splitting 27.80 to turn three tenths ahead of American Alex Shackell, who turned in 2nd at 28.17.
From there, Castelluzzo split 32.08/33.00/33.36 to pick up the win in 2:06.24. This was a new lifetime best for her, taking three tenths off the 2:06.56 she set at the Commonwealth Games.
Dekkers started the race in 4th, turning in 28.65 on the first 50. She moved into 3rd at the 100, splitting 32.10, where she stayed through the 150, when she split 32.66. She was 33.15 on her final 50, the fastest in the field, to finish in 2:06.56 for the silver. Her lifetime best is 2:04.95 from the Australian Trials.
American Tess Howley split 28.63/32.49/32.90/33.41 to finish 3rd in 2:07.43, about three tenths off her prelims time of 2:07.13. Her lifetime best is
Caroline Bricker won the ‘B’ final in 2:07.94, which would have been 4th overall and the 2nd fastest American in the final. Alex Shackell finished 5th in 2:08.70.
MEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – Finals
Top 8 Finishers
Luca Urlando (USA) — 1:53.11 **New Championship Record
Carson Foster (USA) — 1:53.67
Harrison Turner (AUS) — 1:54.44
Chen Juner (CHN) — 1:55.68
Benjamin Loewen (CAN) — 1:56.26
Anton Semenyuk (CAN) — 1:58.39
Kris Mihaylov (RSA) — 1:59.53
Kai Whelan (RSA) — 2:06.54
The United States flipped finish orders with the Australians in the men’s 200 fly. Where the women’s 200 fly had two Aussies in the top spots and an American win the bronze, the mens 200 fly saw two Americans in the top spot with an Aussie winning the bronze.
Luca Urlando set a new meet record time of 1:53.11, taking seen tenths off Michael Phelps‘ 1:53.80 from 2006. He started the race in 2nd, splitting 25.44 on the opening 50 to turn two tenths behind Carson Foster‘s 25.28 on the opening 50.
He took over the lead at the 100, splitting 28.30 to turn in 53.74 before coming home in 29.28/30.09 to earn the gold medal in 1:53.11. This swim was a little more than a second off his lifetime best of 1:51.87 from the 2025 World Championships.
Foster split 28.57/29.54/30.28 on the final three 50s to stop the clock in 1:53.67. He exactly tied his lifetime best from July of 2022.
Australia’s Harrison Turner won the bronze in 1:54.44 after splitting 25.28/28.57/29.54/30.28. This swim was three tenths off his best of 1:54.17 from last summer’s World Championships.
Thomas Heilman won the ‘B’ final in 1:55.57, splitting 25.45/28.99/29.67/30.33. He added about two seconds from his best of 1:53.82, which he set in July of 2023.
MEN’S 800 FREESTYLE – TIMED FINAL
Top 8 Finishers
Sam Short (AUS) — 7:37.02 **New Championship Record
Bobby Finke (USA) — 7:42.52
Benjamin Goedemans (AUS) — 7:44.67
Kazushi Imafuku (JPN) — 7:47.92
Elijah Winnington (AUS) — 7:50.11
Matthew Galea (AUS) — 8:01.86
Joey Tepper (USA) — 8:01.92
Matthew Caldwell (RSA) — 8:02.08
The men’s 800 freestyle saw Australia’s Sam Short take the top spot and Championship record in 7:37.02, finishing a little more than five seconds ahead of American Bobby Finke’s 7:42.52.
Short was shot out of a rocket the first 200 meters of the race, splitting 1:50.08 on the opening 200 to sit more than two seconds ahead of world record pace. Admittedly, the world record is very fast on the back end, but Short created a massive lead over the field
He turned in 3:45.10 at the 400 mark, more than four seconds ahead of Finke’s 3:49.50 in 2nd overall.
From there, Short and Finke settled into similar paces with Short just a bit faster to make up another second on Finke. He came home in 3:51.92 to set his 2nd fastest swim ever, only behind the 7:36.73 he set at the Australian Trials.
Finke was 3:53.02 on his 2nd 400 to stop the clock in 7:42.52, which is off his lifetime best of 7:38.67 from the 2023 World Championships, but was more than a second faster than the 7:44.02 he swm at last year’s World Championships.
Benjamin Goedemans finished 3rd in 7:44.67, splitting 3:51.94/3:52.73. This was a full second drop from the 7:46.16, he set at the 2025 Australian Trials.
WOMEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE – TIMED FINAL
Top 8 Finishers
Katie Ledecky (USA) — 15:36.06
Lani Pallister (AUS) — 15:38.62
Moesha Johnson (AUS) — 15:53.49
Ichika Kajimoto (JPN) — 16:00.10
Caitlin Deans (NZL) — 16:07.44
Beatriz Dizotti (BRA) — 16:08.56
Molly Walker (AUS) — 16:10.58
Jillian Cox (USA) — 16:12.25
Katie Ledecky earned the win in the women’s 1500 freestyle, stopping the clock in 15:36.06 for the 21st fastest performance in history in the event.
Ledecky and Lani Pallister went out fast and were locked in a tight battle through the first 400 meters of the race. Ledecky split 4:02.54 and Pallister swam 4:03.05 to both come in under Ledecky’s world record pace of 4:04.88 from 2018.
They fell off the pace from there, and Ledecky pulled into a stronger lead over Pallister through the next 400 meters, and split 8:12.41 at the 800 mark, about two seconds ahead of Pallister’s 8:14.26.
Ledecky dropped to 31-mid splits while Pallister was 31-mid to high over the last half of the race. Ledecky’s came out on top finishing about 13 seconds off her season best time of 15:32.21 from the Pro Swim Series in Austin at the beginning of the year.
Pallister set a new lifetime best of 15:38.62 moving up to be the 3rd fastest performer in history. She moves ahead of Lotte Friis, who previously held the spot with the 15:38.88 she swam in July of 2013.
Pallister’s swim is a new Australian and Oceanian record, taking half-a-second off the 15:39.14 she swam at the Australian Trials in 2025.
Australia’s Moesha Johnson took 3rd in 15:53.49. This was a new lifetime best for her, taking two seconds off the 15:55.75 she set in June of 2022.
MIXED 4X100 MEDLEY RELAY — Timed Final
World Record: 3:37.43, United States — 2024
Pan Pac Championship Record: 3:38.91, Australia — 2018
Top 3 Finishers
United States (Modglin, Mathias, Walsh, Douglass) — 3:36.70 **New World Record
Australia (Anderson, Williamson, Temple, Harris) — 3:39.30
Canada (Wilm, Dawson, Knox, Ruck) — 3:43.22
It took the whole session, but the first day of the meet wrapped up with a new world record in the mixed 4×100 medley relay. The United States swam 3:36.70 to take seven tenths off their own 2024 record time of 3:37.43.
The Americans led the race from start to finish. Will Modglin led the team off in 53.40, three hundredths off his individual 100 back swim of 53.37 tonight.
Van Mathias had an absolutely monster split on the breaststroke leg, swimming 57.30 to put the United States team back in world record contention. This is the 11th fastest breaststroke split in history and makes him the 3rd fastest performer only behind Adam Peaty and Qin Haiyang.
Gretchen Walsh swam 54.99 on the fly leg before handing off to Kate Douglass, who blasted a 51.01 to bring the American team home in a new world record. Douglass’ split is the 4th fastest in history, only behind Cate Campbell and Marrit Steenbergen, and Walsh’s is the 2nd fastest in history, only behind he own 54.98 from last summer’s World Championships
Australia finished 2nd in 3:39.30 with Iona Anderson (59.14), Samuel Williamson (58.50), Matthew Temple (49.60), and Meg Harris (52.06).
The Canadians took 3d with Ingrid Wilm (59.73), Oliver Dawson (59.36), Finlay Knox (51.60), and Taylor Ruck (52.53) stopping the clock in 3:43.22.
