PAN PAC WRAP DAY ONE

Pan Pacs Swimming, August 22, 2014: USA, Australia and Japan share golden spoils on opening night of Pan Pacs

MEDAL TALLY
As at end of Day 1, Thursday 21 August 2014

NATION	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE	TOTAL
United States of America	4	1	5	10
Australia	2	2	2	6
Japan	2	2	-	4
Canada	-	1	1	2
Brazil	-	1	-	1
New Zealand	-	1	-	-

 

There were eight gold medals up for grabs on night one of the 2014 Hancock Prospecting Pan Pacific Championships at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre last night with the USA winning four and Australia and Japan two gold each in the opening finals session.

Night one a also saw US teen sensation Katie Ledecky produce the swim of the night – missing her own world record in the 800m freestyle by just 0.35 of a second.

Here is a wrap of the eight finals:

Women’s 200m Freestyle

The first medals of the 2014 Hancock Prospecting Pan Pacific Championships were decided at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre tonight in the women’s 200m freestyle with dual Olympian Bronte Barratt getting Australia on the board with silver.

“I’m really happy,” Barratt said of her swim which she clocked in 1:57.22. “Obviously it wasn’t the quickest time but I’m still happy. I think I put in a quick 50 and I came home with a silver medal so I’m pretty happy.”

Diving into her home pool, Melanie Schlanger was unlucky to miss the podium by 0.01secs behind bronze medallist Shannon Vreeland of the USA (1:57.38).

World beating Katie Ledecky of the USA won gold in a new Pan Pacs record time of 1:55.74.

Commonwealth Games champion Emma McKeon shook off the disappointment of missing the A final to swim 1:57.21, a time would have placed her third overall.

US star Missy Franklin, who hurt her back doing a backstroke start in training yesterday, also contested the B final despite her injury. With the US Olympic Team using the meet as their qualification for the World Championships, Franklin needed to give her all in the swim in case teammate Vreeland went on to swim a time in the A Final, faster than Franklin’s 1:56.40 from Nationals. Franklin put together a great swim to win the B final in 1:56.04 and ensure her Worlds spot was safe.

Men’s 200m Freestyle

In the corresponding men’s event, Australia’s Commonwealth Games champion Thomas Fraser-Holmes won gold in a thrilling race to the wall. With nothing separating the top five swimmers over the last lap, Fraser-Holmes put his head down in the last 15 metres and touched out Japan’s Kosuke Hagino to finish first in 1:45.98.

“It helps to have long arms,” the 22-year-old said with a laugh. “That last lap was crazy. When I touched the wall…it was something special and something that I am really proud of.

“The Commonwealth [Games] was a big step but this was a big test, racing the Americans. I executed a good race plan tonight. I think Ryan [Lochte] had a really good last turn but I just put my head down the last 25 metres and really went for that wall.”

Advice from his coach, Denis Cotterell was to do “whatever it takes” and that the race would come down to the last eight strokes.

“I didn’t breathe for the last seven strokes so I’m pretty thankful he told me that, and thankful for my long arms!”

Team mate and another Gold Coast local Cameron McEvoy charged home for Australia to come away with bronze. A 100m specialist, McEvoy went out hard in the first two laps, but held on for a podium finish.

“That was actually really good,” McEvoy said, “I could see a little bit on my peripheral but I had no idea how close it was.

“We [McEvoy and Fraser-Holmes] push each other to move further and further forward in the event…we can go into it as a friendship-slash-team. We have always had great battles in the 200 freestyle, it’s always like that.”

The fastest qualifier going into the finals was Kosuke Hagino and the 20-year-old Japanese swimmer took the silver medal in 1:46.08.

David McKeon was second in the B final in a time of 1:47.48.

Women’s 100m Backstroke

Emily Seebohm not only won the women’s 100m backstroke – she owned it. The only athlete to swim under a minute in the heats, Seebohm improved her time to 58.84 in the final to win gold in emphatic fashion, beating her own Pan Pacs and Australian All-Comers record in the process.

Seebohm took the win ahead of teammate Belinda Hocking and USA’s Missy Franklin who has forced Seebohm to settle for silver at the last Olympics and World Championships.

“I felt pretty comfortable in that final 50 and seeing where she [Franklin] was out of the corner of my eye – it definitely gave me a bit more on that back 50 and that was exactly what I needed,” Seebohm said.

“Being in lane four I had a lot of pressure on me, but I was able to overcome that. I was able to come out and win the gold and that’s exactly what I wanted.

Hocking, 23, was thrilled to take home silver from the event after swimming 59.78.

“I was a little bit nervous coming into it whether my fitness would be what it was at Commies [Commonwealth Games],” she said. “That time actually beat the time I did at Commies so I’m really, really happy. It shows the confidence I had in myself to be able to get up and produce a good swim.”

In her second race of the night, USA’s Missy Franklin took home the bronze medal in a time of 1:00.30.

Men’s 100m Backstroke

With the Pan Pacs record falling three times in the heats, the men’s 100m backstroke was pegged to be one of the biggest show-downs of the first night of finals – and it didn’t disappoint.

Mitch Larkin showed he is going from strength to strength, finishing fourth in a personal best time of 53.28. The 21-year-old Queenslander came agonisingly close to being on the podium, finishing just 0.01 seconds behind the bronze medallist.

“I guess you get that in the 100 and it’s a PB for me so I’m really happy,” Larkin said. “I’ll go back and look through the race and see any mistakes and anything I can improve on. To race these guys is great. Grevers is a guy I’ve looked up to – literally – so racing him is really wonderful.

“They are pretty different events but I’m looking forward to the 2 [200m backstroke]. That’s what I focus on and hopefully I’ll go quicker than Glasgow. It’s going to be a great race.”

Larkin’s teammate Ben Treffers was just behind him, swimming 53.84 to finish fifth.

Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Josh Beaver contested the B final which saw him finish second in 54.05.

Olympic bronze medallist Ryosuke Irie of Japan, widely considered to have the best backstroke style in the world, won the event effortlessly in 53.02. Six-time Olympic medallist Matt Grevers of the USA took silver in 53.09.

Women’s 800m Freestyle

The fast final of the women’s 800m saw two Aussies in action in Alanna Bowles and Jessica Ashwood. The pair finished sixth and eighth respectively in their heat, placing them eighth and 10^th overall after faster times were recorded in the day’s previous timed final.

“It was pretty cool to be one of the youngest in the field and experience a race against the world record holder,” Bowles said.

Ashwood was disappointed with her race but will use the race to push herself in the future.

“You have ups and downs in your career,” she said. “Everything can’t be great all the time and you learn a lot from some of your worst swims more than some of your great swims.”

In the swim of the night world record holder Katie Ledecky went two-from-two, adding gold in the 800m to her earlier win in the 200m. The reigning Olympic Champion in the event, Ledecky took an unassailable early lead and was sitting inside world record pace right up until the end of the 16-lap endurance race.

Ledecky, who smashed the 400m freestyle world record at the US Nationals last week, clocked 8:11.35 – just 0.35secs outside her own world mark of 8:11.00 set in Texas in June. With three World Records to her name already this year, Ledecky wasn’t phased, with the second fastest time in history.

“I wasn’t really focusing on hitting a particular time in the 800,” the 17-year-old said. “I just wanted to get through the double and see what I could do in both races. It was my first big international double and I wanted to see how I would handle it – and I’m really happy with how I handled it.”

With three individual events plus relays still to come, Ledecky is well placed to be the most versatile and successful athlete of the meet.

W 200m Butterfly

In the women’s 200m butterfly, Madeline Groves gained valuable international racing experience, finishing seventh in a time of 2:10.15. Groves was in talented company in the grueling race

“It was exciting to be here tonight,” the 19-year-old said after the race. “I was a bit disappointed with how I went this morning but just glad to scrape into the final there. I wasn’t really happy with my time again but I showed to show a bit of ticker going out and that was the aim so I’m happy with that.”

“I didn’t want to overthink it, I didn’t want to stress too much. I didn’t have too many expectations going into this meet. I was just trying to stay relaxed and go out there and have fun. I did that so I’m happy.”

Cammile Adams of the United States took out the race in 2:06.61 ahead of Natsumi Hoshi of Japan (2:06.68). Katie McLaughlin of the USA rounded out the medals with bronze in 2:07.08.

Men’s 200m Butterfly

Japan’s Daiya Seto soared to victory in the men’s 200m butterfly, an event that saw no Aussies in action. Seto, a medley specialist, dominated the race to take out the win in 1:54.92 ahead of Brazil’s Leonardo De Deus (1:55.28) and USA’s Tyler Clary (1:55.42).

Men’s 1500m Freestyle

A hotly contested fast final of the men’s 1500m concluded the night with young Australians Jordan Harrison and Mack Horton confirming the strong future of distance swimming in Australia. Horton, who recently won silver in the event at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, was third in 14:52.78. At just 18 years of age, he was the youngest competitor in the top-class field that saw six swimmers go neck and neck throughout the entire race.

“I’m happy but kind of annoyed - that was probably the closest 1500 I’ve ever seen, with changing leaders every couple of laps,” Horton said after the race.

“When it is that close over that kind of distance you think if I did this little bit more I could have got over the top of them. But I guess I have to be happy with a bronze medal. I’ve raced two 1500s however many weeks ago along with 400s. So it’s tough but I have to be happy.”

Harrison, 19, also performed strongly in Glasgow to finish fourth and improved on his Commonwealth Games time tonight to finish fourth again in 14:53.65.

Connor Jaeger of the USA took out the top spot in 14:51.79 ahead of Canadian Ryan Cochrane (14:51.97).

Network Ten, through ONE HD and Channel Ten will televise the four-day 2014 Hancock Prospecting Pan Pacific Swimming Championships live from the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre.

Saturday night’s finals session featuring US superstars Michael Phelps in the 100m butterfly and Katie Ledecky in the 400m freestyle as well as both 4 x 100m freestyle relays will be telecast live on Channel Ten from 7.30pm. The Thursday, Friday and Sunday finals sessions will be televised live on ONE HD.

The morning sessions will be streamed live via the Swimming Australia website: http://www.swimming.org.au/live

Finals sessions are sold out but there are still tickets available for the four morning sessions (10am) and they are available through www.ticketmaster.com.au

Event media contact: Ian Hanson – 0407 385 160 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Australian team media contact: Kathleen Rayment – 0432 915 262, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Kathleen Rayment | Media & Public Relations Coordinator | Swimming Australia Ltd
PO Box 3286, Belconnen ACT 2617 | Direct: 02 6219 5623 | M: 0432 915 262 |  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | www.swimming.org.au

Issued on behalf of Swimming Australia by Ian Hanson
Media Manager Australian Commonwealth Games Team, Glasgow, 2014