2018 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Thursday, August 9 – Tuesday, August 14, 2018
- Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center, Tokyo, Japan
- Meet site
- Psych Sheet
- Start Lists
- Meet Results
Swimming in the A-final of the men’s 200 fly at the Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo, Canadian Olympian Mack Darragh broke his own National Record in a time of 1:56.27 to place 5th.
The 24-year-old first broke the record almost a year ago to the day at the Canadian Championships in Montreal, lowering his personal best by over a second to take Zack Chetrat‘s 2015 mark of 1:56.90 off the books in 1:56.87.
Here in Tokyo, he wasn’t far off his record in the heats (1:57.10), and then dropped the 1:56.27 in the final to move up one spot to 5th. A member of the Oakville Aquatic Club in Ontario, Darragh had also been 1:56 earlier in the year at the Commonwealth Games, placing 6th in the final after a 1:56.96 swim in the prelims.
Comparing his two record swims, Darragh’s splits were very similar across the board. He was slightly faster than his previous record splits on all four 50s.
Darragh Canadian Record Split Comparison
| 2017 Canadian Nats | 2018 Pan Pacs |
| 25.94 | 25.88 |
| 55.39 (29.45) | 55.20 (29.32) |
| 1:25.72 (30.33) | 1:25.31 (30.11) |
| 1:56.87 (31.15) | 1:56.27 (30.96) |
This was just the second Canadian Record through two (out of four) days at the Pan Pacs, with Taylor Ruck being the other as she broke the Commonwealth, Canadian and Pan Pacific Championship Records on day 1 in the 200 freestyle. Ruck narrowly missed another on day 2, winning bronze in the 100 free in 52.72 to fall just shy of Penny Oleksiak‘s 2016 mark of 52.70.
Darragh’s been in the game a long time; I remember racing him numerous times since I was 10. He’s been putting up some world-class times in the past year; can’t wait to see his progression leading into 2020 as he could do something special.