Pan Pacs RECAP: Aussie bad boy wins medal despite banging into lane rope

And that’s where we’ll call it, folks.

Australia won eight medals on day two of the Pan Pacific Championships, including two golds.

Meg Harris took out the women’s 100m freestyle, and Inez Miller, Lani Pallister, Hannah Casey and Milla Jansen combined to win the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay.

We’ve got another two days of action to come in California.

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She had won gold, but she didn’t know it.

Australia’s Meg Harris wasn’t aware she had snatched gold in the women’s 100-metre freestyle at the Pan Pacific Championships until her teammate in the final told her.

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Replays have shown Australia’s Isaac Cooper won silver in the men’s 50m backstroke despite losing his way and banging into a lane rope.

In fact, the gold medallist, American Quintin McCarty, also bashed into a lane rope.

Check out the vision below.

And in the final event of day two, Australia has scooped silver in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay, behind the USA.

The Americans won gold in 6:59.37 – a new championship record – as the Aussies claimed silver (7:01.10) and Japan bronze (7:02.74).

The four Aussies were Max Giuliani, Kai Taylor, Charlie Hawke and Sam Short.

They fell just 0.25 of a second short of the Australian record – the 7:00.85 set by Clyde Lewis, Kyle Chalmers, Alexander Graham and Mack Horton at the 2019 world championships in South Korea.

Australia was without Olympic and world champion Mollie O’Callaghan for the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay final, after she withdrew from the Pan Pacs because of serious back problems.

But so strong is Australia’s depth that the team didn’t need her.

A quartet featuring Inez Miller, Lani Pallister, Hannah Casey and Milla Jansen, who swam in that order, not only won gold in the 4x200m relay – they broke the championship record.

Australia clinched gold with a time of 7:42.40, ahead of the USA (7:43.10) and Canada (7:52.74).

“The biggest thing that the four of us came into this [thinking about was] we kind of felt like underdogs a little bit; we were missing Mollie, obviously,” Pallister said.

“We wish her all the best with her back, and we’re excited to go home and see her.

“But the girls swam so well. Inez had a wicked lead-off and everyone did their job.

“It’s really incredible to be part of this legacy.”

Isaac Cooper, the Australian who missed the last night of the swimming program at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games to go out drinking, has won silver in the men’s 50m backstroke.

The USA’s Quintin McCarty claimed gold in 24.51 seconds, as Cooper took silver (24.59) and American Will Modglin bronze (24.66).

Moments earlier, Australia had won a bronze medal in the women’s 50m backstroke via 20-year-old rising star Iona Anderson, who clocked 27.70.

In an American one-two, Katharine Berkoff won gold (26.90) and Regan Smith grabbed silver (27.14).

Australia’s Sam Williamson has won bronze in the men’s 100m breaststroke.

The USA’s Van Mathias claimed gold in 58.02 seconds, ahead of Japanese silver medallist Shin Ohashi (58.54) and bronze medallist Williamson (59.34).

Australia’s Zac Stubblety-Cook, who specialises in the 200m breaststroke, finished seventh in 1:00.18.

Williamson’s bronze medal-winning swim follows his phenomenal Commonwealth Games campaign in Glasgow, where he won four gold medals, including two individual golds.

And let’s not forget – the Melburnian’s 2025 was ruined by a career-threatening knee injury that left him walking “a little bit like C-3PO”.

For those who aren’t aware, that is a robot from Star Wars.

He has carved out one incredible comeback.

Australia’s Meg Harris revealed after winning gold in the women’s 100m freestyle that she wasn’t aware until her teammate in the final mentioned it.

“My coach said to don’t leave anything in the water, so I put my head down and closed my eyes,” Harris said.

“I didn’t even realise I had won until Liv [Olivia Wunsch] told me.”

It appears the picture below shows the moment Wunsch told Harris she had won.

A priceless moment.

The USA’s Jack Alexy has crushed the field to win gold in the men’s 100m freestyle

The American star also set a new championship record, clocking 47.14.

American teammate Patrick Sammon claimed silver in 47.62, as Brazil’s Guilherme Caribé took bronze in 47.89.