Pan Pacs recap: Gold rush as weakened Aussie team spoils American party

That’s a wrap for nine.com.au’s coverage on day one of the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships swimming from California.

We will be back to bring you more chlorine-fuelled action tomorrow.

Until then.

What a swim from the home quartet as the United States break the mixed 4x100m medley relay world record!

The USA swam 3:36:70 while the Australian team of Iona Anderson, Sam Williamson, Matt Temple and Meg Harris claimed silver with 3:39:30.

USA’s team is Will Modglin, Van Mathias, Gretchen Walsh, and Kate Douglass.

Canada took bronze.

“It’s awesome. I mean, this is my first relay in like three years,” Mathias, who swum the breastroke leg, said on Nine’s coverage.

“I missed every bit of it, and, to have a world record like this is awesome.”

Douglass brought the hosts home with a sizzling freestyle leg.

“One of the benefits of being the anchor in a relay like this is to watch all of my teammates kill it, and they kind of do the work for me,” Douglass said.

“They got me out ahead, and I used the energy from the crowd to bring me home.”

We are now watching a mixed 4x100m medley relay in the final event of day one.

Australia, as you would expect, has a team in the pool (Iona Anderson, Sam Williamson, Matt Temple, Meg Harris).

The United States lead early.

Lani Pallister has finished second to Katie Ledecky in the women’s 1500m freestyle.

Ledecky visibly lifted in the final 100m, and Pallister couldn’t go with her. The American eventually touched in 15:36.09. Pallister’s 15:38.62 was still a PB.

Incredibly, this is Ledecky’s first major international win on US soil.

Moesha Johnson finished third to make it two Aussies on the podium.

We’re mid-way through the women’s 1500m, where Katie Ledecky has been controlling the pace.

Lani Pallister is right with her about a bodylength behind, but she faces a tough ask to reel in one of the greatest of all time.

Sam Short has utterly dominated the men’s 800m freestyle, touching in 7:37.02 -- slashing six seconds off the Pan Pac record.

Short led at every turn and eventually won by 7.5 seconds over American three-time Olympic champion Bobby Finke. Compatriot Ben Goedemans was third.

“I just love getting up and racing,” Short said poolside.

“I was really excited to race Bobby. You know he’s a triple-Olympic champ for a reason. So I brought my A game and I really sent it there.

“That’s the second fastest time I’ve ever done, so I’m super stoked.”

Harrison Turner has finished third in the men’s 200m butterfly.

He was in the hunt for much of the race, but couldn’t go with the American duo of Luca Urlando and Carson Foster when they lifted in the final 50.

Urlando touched in 1:53.11, with Turner about 1.3 seconds behind.

Australia has scored a stunning 1-2 in the women’s 200m butterfly, with Brittany Castelluzzo leading home Elizabeth Dekkers.

The duo edged out American Tess Howley.

“After the Comm Games it was just time to rest for a little bit and then just work on those tiny little things,” Castelluzzo said poolside.

When asked to describe the final 25m of a 200m butterfly race, Castelluzzo was blunt: “Death”.

“I was seeing stars a little bit, but if you’re not dying at the end of a race, you’re not trying 100 per cent,” she said.

That was a tasty teaser of what’s to come in the LA 2028 Olympics!

Lani Pallister has just won the women’s 200m freestyle, holding off a late charge from Canadian superstar Summer McIntosh.

It was more or less a straight fight between McIntosh and Pallister for the whole race, with Pallister eventually touching in 1:53.67 - nearly two tenths clear of McIntosh.

Kiwi Erika Fairweather finished third. Fellow Aussie Milla Jansen finished fifth.

“I said to Dean (Boxhall, coach) at the start of the week that racing this week at Pan Pacs is kind of the first taste of the Olympics in two years time,” she said poolside.

“I often don’t swim the 200 individually, so going 1:53 is wicked here.”

It hasn’t taken long for the Aussies to win their first gold of the meeting, with Ben Armbruster winning the men’s 50m butterfly in a Pan Pac record of 22.75, ahead of American Van Mathias and Guilherme Caribe.

In his first race back since electing to skip the final night of Commonwealth Games action in Glasgow to go out drinking, Isaac Cooper was fifth, just under three tenths behind Armbruster.

“It’s been tough – it’s been a long (time) away from home,” Armbruster said poolside.

“I haven’t seen my girlfriend ages, my family, everyone. It’s been a long time. We’re getting near the end, but it’s pretty good to put two really good meets together.”