2022 Junior Pan Pacs – Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2022 Junior Pan Pacific Championships

• August 24-27, 2022
• Mark Takai Veterans Memorial Aquatics Center
• Honolulu, Hawaii (Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time)
• Prelims 9:00 AM / Finals 5:00 PM (GMT-10)
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Streaming
• Five main story lines – boys
• Five main story lines – girls

The 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Championships, which brings together swimmers from Australia, Canada, Japan, the United States, New Zealand, Samoa, Fiji, and Singapore, is being hosted by the U.S. in Honolulu, Hawaii. It is open to athletes aged 13-18 as of December 31st of the competition year. Each nation is limited to two athletes in the scored A final and two in the B final.

With half of the meet already in the books, the United States leads the medals table with 10 gold, 9 silver, and 4 bronze medals. Australia and Japan have 13 medals each. Australia ranks second behind USA with 4 golds, 6 silver, and 3 bronze; Japan has 3 golds, 3 silver, and 7 bronze.

Day 3 finals will crown the winners of the 400 free, 100 fly, 200 back, and 4×100 free. Erin Gemmell of USA is top seed in the 400 free and is poised to sweep her events; she won the 200 free on Wednesday and the 100 free on Thursday, both in meet record time. Australia’s Joshua Staples is looking to add gold in the 400 free to his 1500 victory from Day 1 but USA’s Alec Enyeart posted the top time in heats this morning.

USA’s Alex Shackell had the fastest qualifying time in the girls’ 100 fly by three-quarters of a second, while Australia’s Jesse Coleman topped the boys’ 100 fly qualifiers by a more modest margin over USA’s Thomas Heilman.

Japan’s Yuzuki Mizuno and Mio Narita earned the middle lanes in the girls’ 200 back final. Their teammate Hidekazu Takehara led the qualifiers for the boys’ 200 back.

Girls 400 Meter Freestyle – Final

• Jr World: 3:58.37 – Katie Ledecky, USA (2014)
• Jr Pan Pac: 4:07.10 – Leah Smith, USA (2012)

Podium:

1. Erin Gemmell, USA – 4:05.07
2. Jamie Perkins, Australia – 4:06.64
3. Jillian Cox, USA – 4:06.84

If swimming were a board game, the girls’ 400 free final would have been a chess match. Erin Gemmell took off like a shot from the outset, as she had in morning heats, trying to get into clear water. She flipped at the 50 wall a body length ahead of the field. The next 50 meters, though, belonged to the Australians. Amelia Weber took over the lead from an outside lane; her teammate Jamie Perkins flipped just behind Gemmell. Weber was still out front at the 150 and Perkins had moved into second place, .17 ahead of Gemmell.

Gemmell surged to the front of the pack over the next 50 meters and held the lead again at the 200 with 2:02.16. Perkins was .01 behind. Weber was in third, but USA’s Jillian Cox was closing quickly. Cox moved into third place at the 250. The configuration didn’t change over the final 150 meters. Gemmell (4:05.07), Perkins (4:06.64) and Cox (4:06.84) all came in under the meet record time of 4:07.10.

Gemmell now ranks 6th in the all-time rankings for American 17-18 girls behind only Katie Ledecky, Katie Hoff, Janet Evans, Cierra Runge, and Allison Schmitt. Cox moves into the top-10. Gemmell and Cox will presumably be training partners at the University of Texas when they begin in the fall of 2024.

Boys 400 Meter Freestyle – Final

• Jr World: 3:44.60 – Mack Horton, AUS (2014)
• Jr Pan Pac: 3:50.51 – Nicholas Caldwell, USA (2010)

Podium:

1. Joshua Staples, Australia – 3:48.36
2. Rex Maurer, USA – 3:49.86
3. Alec Enyeart, USA – 3:51.07

The boys put on quite a show in the final of the 400 free, rivaling the girls’ race in excitement. USA’s Rex Maurer and Alec Enyeart went out aggressively on the first 50, flipping within .01 of each other with 26.1s. Canada’s Adam Wu was a few tenths behind them in third. Enyeart took over the lead at the 100 and Australia’s Joshua Staples moved into third.

Staples, who won the 1500 free on Wednesday night, passed Maurer and remained in second place behind Enyeart at the 150 and 200 walls. Staples then began his descent, taking over the lead at the 250 and never letting up. He continued to distance himself from the two Americans who were battling for second place in his wake.

Enyeart and Maurer were tied at the 250 turn, after which Maurer powered ahead of his teammate. He came to the wall 1.5 seconds behind Staples and 1.2 seconds ahead of Enyeart.

Both Staples (3:48.36) and Maurer (3:49.86) beat the meet record set by Nicholas Caldwell in 2010.

Girls 100 Meter Butterfly – Final

• Jr World: 56.43 – Claire Curzan, USA (2021)
• Jr Pan Pac: 58.38 – Maggie MacNeil, Canada (2018)

Podium:

1. Alex Shackell, USA – 58.58
2. Airi Mitsui, Japan – 58.67
3. Bailey Hartman, USA – 58.71

Alex Shackell of USA was the number one seed coming into the meet. She led the qualifiers in heats this morning. And she won the final in 58.58 to remain atop the field in the girls’ 100 fly.

Shackell established an early lead, turning first with 27.30 at the halfway point. Her second 50 was a tick slower than it had been in prelims but her quick first 50 allowed her to fend off a strong charge from Japan’s Airi Mitsui over the second half of the race. In fifth place at the 50, Mitsui had by far the fastest back half. She came home in 30.6 to come within .09 of running down Shackell.

Mitsui stopped the clock at 58.67 to earn the silver medal.

USA’s Bailey Hartman, third at the 50 behind Shackell and Canada’s Ella Jansen, was the second-fastest closer, coming home in 31.0 to take third place with 58.71.

Boys 100 Meter Butterfly – Final

• Jr World: 50.62 – Kristof Milak, HUN (2017)
• Jr Pan Pac: 52.37 – Daniel Bell, New Zealand (2009)

Podium:

1. Thomas Heilman, USA – 51.98
2. Jesse Coleman, Australia – 52.23
3. Tomoyuki Matsushita, Japan – 53.38

Australia’s Jesse Coleman, the fastest qualifier this morning, was first to the 50 with 24.57. USA’s Thomas Heilman and Aaron Shackell followed, trailing by .16 and .5, respectively.

Heilman accelerated his pace on the second 50. He and Coleman swam together for the first 35 meters but Heilman pulled away over the last 15 meters and outsplit Coleman 27.25 to 27.66. Heilman got his hand to the wall at 51.98, beating Coleman by .25. Both Heilman and Coleman (52.23) broke the meet record set by Daniel Bell of New Zealand in 2009.

Tomoyuki Matsushita came home .4 faster than Shackell and just got by the American at the end to pick up another medal for Japan. He finished in 53.38 to Shackell’s 53.54.

Heilman broke his own National Age Group record for 15-16 boys with his 51.98; he came into the meet with a lifetime best of 52.44.

Girls 200 Meter Backstroke – Final

• Jr World: 2:03.35 – Regan Smith, USA (2019)
• Jr Pan Pac: 2:08.81 – Isabelle Stadden, USA-US (2018)

Podium:

1. Yuzuki Mizuno, Japan – 2:09.17
2. Mio Narita, Japan – 2:09.67
3. Kennedy Noble, USA – 2:11.32

Yuzuki Mizuno and Mio Narita of Japan led the field at the first turn with 30.04 and 30.45, respectively. Canada’s Regan Rathwell led the next group, followed closely by USA’s Maggie Wanezek and Kennedy Noble.

Mizuno remained out front on the second 50, while Narita crashed into the lane line with about 15 meters to go, which threw her momentarily off course. Rathwell slipped by Narita and flipped in second place at the 100 wall. Narita regained her composure and outsplit Rathwell by a full second on the third 50.

Mizuno led the field by a full body length headed into the final 50 meters. Narita was back in second pace and USA’s Wanezek had taken over at third place. Her teammate Noble had a tremendous fourth 50, though, and would up getting her hand to the wall just after Narita.

Mizuno won with 2:09.17, followed by Narita (2:09.67), Noble (2:11.32), and Wanezek (2:11.43).

Boys 200 Meter Backstroke – Final

• Jr World: 1:55.14 – Kliment Kolesnikov, RUS (2017)
• Jr Pan Pac: 1:57.20 – Jack Conger, USA (2012)

Podium:

1. Hidekazu Takehara, Japan – 1:57.00
2. Josh Zuchowski, USA – 1:58.17
3. Keaton Jones, USA – 1:58.98

It was a three-man race in the middle lanes of the pool, as Japan’s Hidekazu Takehara and USA’s Keaton Jones and Josh Zuchowski battled for the 200 back title. Takehara was quick to establish the lead; he split 27.66/29.4 to flip at 57.13 at the halfway point.

Behind him, the Americans were trading leads, with Zuchowski up by .20 at the 50, Jones by .15 at the 100, and Jones by .08 at the 150. Zuchowski then ripped a 29.68 on the final 50 meters, two-tenths faster even than Takehara.

Takehara remained a body length in front, though, and won in 1:57.00. He eclipsed the meet record set by Jack Conger in 2012. Zuchowski took second with 1:58.17, while Jones finished in 1:58.98 for third.

Girls 4×100 Meter Freestyle Relay – Timed Finals

• Jr World: 3:36.19 – Canada (T Ruck, P Oleksiak, R Smith, K Snachez) (2017)
• Jr Pan Pac: 3:39.73 – Australia (L McJannett, S Jack, S Taylor, C Gillett) (2014)

Podium:

1. United States (Kayla Wilson, Anna Moesch, Erin Gemmell, Alex Shackell) – 3:37.99
2. Australia (Olivia Wunsch, Hannah Casey, Jamie Perkins, Milla Jansen) – 3:39.04
3. Canada (Lilly Daley, Ella Jansen, Kamryn Cannings, Christey Liang) – 3:40.90

Kayla Wilson (54.78), Anna Moesch (54.44), Erin Gemmell (54.29), and Alex Shackell (54.48) combined to take down the meet record, set by Australia in 2014, with a combined 3:37.99.

Australia’s Olivia Wunsch, Hannah Casey, Jamie Perkins, Milla Jansen also lowered the meet mark with 3:39.04. Wunsch put the Aussies in front on the opening leg with her 54.68 leadoff. She was followed by Casey (55.39), Perkins (55.01), and Jansen (53.96). Jansen’s anchor was the fastest split of the night but it wasn’t quite enough to catch the Americans.

Boys 4×100 Meter Freestyle Relay – Timed Finals

• Jr World: 3:15.80 – USA (J Magahey, L Urlando, A Chaney, C Foster) (2019)
• Jr Pan Pac: 3:17.67 – USA, USA (R Hoffer, D Krueger, C Craig, D Kibler) (2016)

Podium:

1. United States (Thomas Heilman, Henry McFadden, Daniel Diehl, Kaii Winkler) – 3:15.79
2. Australia (Flynn Southam, Marcus Da Silva, Anders McAlpine, Jamie Mooney) – 3:18.06
3. Japan (Tatsumi Edward Scott, Yoshitoku Narushima, Yamato Okadome, Ryosuke Hasunuma) – 3:19.94

Australia led off with a 48.43 from Flynn Southam, but USA took over the lead on the second leg and was never challenged from then on. Thomas Heilman (49.14), Henry McFadden (49.04), Daniel Diehl (48.66), and Kaii Winkler (48.95) combined to take down both the meet record and the World Junior Record with 3:15.79.

Other than Southam’s flat-start 48.43, Diehl and Winkler were the only other sub-49s. The rest of the Australian relay consisted of Marcus Da Silva (50.20), Anders McAlpine (49.80), and Jamie Mooney (49.63).