2018 Pan Pacific Championships Day Four Finals Recap
Key Links
Final Team USA Medal Count: 43 – 18 gold, 14 silver, 11 bronze
The U.S. won the Pan Pacific Championships team title with 447.5 points, ahead of Australia (331.5) and Japan (318).
Ryan Murphy, who won three gold medals, was awarded the Male Swimmer of the Championships honor.
Team USA posted 10 Pan Pacific Championships record swims.
Women’s 1500m Freestyle
1. Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Stanford Swimming), 15:38.97
2. Kiah Melverton (Australia), 16:00.08
3. Leah Smith (Pittsburgh, Pa./Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics), 16:00.82
Race Notes
- Ledecky won her second consecutive Pan Pacs title in the women’s 1500m free (2014).
- Ledecky has won five medals at 2018 Pan Pacs, including gold in the 400m free, 800m free and 1500m free.
- Ledecky now has seven won career individual gold medals in Pan Pacs competition to rank third all-time behind Jenny Thompson (12) and Janet Evans (9).
- Ledecky’s time of 15:38.97 ranks as the tenth-fastest performance of all-time and was 21 seconds clear of the field tonight.
- Smith’s time from the morning was good for her third individual bronze medal of the week – 400m, 800m and 1500m free.
Quotes
Katie Ledecky (on her meet as a whole): “It’s been successful in that I think I have a lot of things that I’ve learned from this meet and a lot of areas for improvement and a lot of motivation. I’m just going to hold onto those things and take them back into training in the fall and start working toward my goals.”
Ledecky (on her event program in 2020): “I don’t anticipate trying to drop any of them. It’s a challenge that I enjoy. It’s something that makes training really challenging and exciting for me to compete in the shorter races and the longer races, so I have no plans of dropping anything. Plans could change but I still have a lot in me. I swam faster earlier in the year in those events, so it’s just about tying to get it right at the right time.”
Men’s 800m Freestyle
1. Zane Grothe (Boulder City, Nev./Mission Viejo Nadadores), 7:43.74 (Pan Pacs record)
2. Jordan Wilimovsky (Malibu, Calif./Team Santa Monica), 7:45.19
3. Jack McLoughlin (Australia), 7:47.31
Race Notes
- Grothe’s time of 7:43.74 broke Grant Hackett’s Pan Pacs record and ranks as the 12th-fastest of all-time in the event.
- Grothe has won three medals this week in Tokyo: gold in the 800m free, silver in the 1500m free and bronze in the 400m free.
- Grothe’s 800m free gold is the first-ever for the United States in the 800m free at Pan Pacs.
- Wilimovsky also won gold in the 1500m free earlier in the meet and followed with silver in the 800m free.
Quotes
Zane Grothe (On his meet this week in Tokyo): “Overall, I’m very satisfied. I’m always hungry for more and you might have seen that on my face after a few races. Overall, I’m very pleased, especially being able to finish it off very strong.”
Grothe (On setting a championship record): “My goal coming in was to drop about a full second and try and get that American record. I think I missed it by 0.14. I had no idea where the championship record was, so that’s always a nice goal. I was out a second slower at the halfway mark than I was a Nationals because I a little cautious. I was waiting on these guys, waiting on someone to make a move and at that point I made the move myself.”
Women’s 200m Backstroke
1. Kathleen Baker (Winston-Salem, N.C./Team Elite), 2:06.14 (Pan Pacs record)
2. Taylor Ruck (Canada), 2:06.41
3. Regan Smith (Lakeville, Minn./Riptide Swim Team), 2:06.46
Race Notes
- Baker won her first career Pan Pacs title in a meet record 2:06.14. She also took bronze in the women’s 100m back.
- Smith earned bronze in 2:06.46 for her first career Pan Pacs medal.
- The top six swimmers in the championship final all were under the previous Pan Pacs record.
- Baker also swam on tonight’s women’s 400m medley relay, which won silver.
Quotes
Kathleen Baker (on posting a best time and winning the 200m back): “I’m super happy with that, getting a win and a best time here was amazing. It’s been a hard adjustment coming off of Nationals and traveling so far. Coming into this race tonight I just wanted to leave whatever I had left in the pool in the 200 back. I really went for it the first 100 and did my best to hold on at the end and that strategy worked for me.”
Men’s 200m Backstroke
1. Ryan Murphy (Jacksonville, Fla./California Aquatics), 1:53.57 (Pan Pacs record)
2. Ryosuke Irie (Japan), 1:55.12
3. Austin Katz (Sarasota, Fla./Longhorn Aquatics), 1:56.00
Race Notes
- Murphy swept the backstroke gold medals this week in Tokyo and set Pan Pacs records in both events.
- Following Murphy’s victory, the United States has won all 13 Pan Pacs titles in the men’s 200m back.
- Murphy also set a Pan Pacs record in this morning’s prelims with a time of 1:54.07.
- Murphy also swam on tonight’s men’s 400m medley relay, which won gold.
Quotes
Ryan Murphy (on his overall performance): “It was a really good meet. It was just nice to be in Tokyo. I really wanted to have a good meet here. I’m a little bit superstitious, so I just wanted to have a good meet in Tokyo and hopefully that bodes well for me leading into 2020.”
Women’s 50m Freestyle
1. Cate Campbell (Australia), 23.81 (Pan Pacs record)
2. Simone Manuel (Sugar Land, Texas/Stanford Swimming), 24.22
3. Emma McKeon (Australia), 24.34
5. Abbey Weitzeil (Saugus, Calif./California Aquatics), 24.58
Race Notes
- After placing second in the women’s 100m free earlier in the meet, Manuel won her second individual silver medal in Tokyo.
- Manuel’s medal was the first for the U.S. at Pan Pacs in the women’s 50m free since 2010.
- Manuel also swam on Team USA’s women’s 400m medley relay, which won silver.
Men’s 50m Freestyle
1. Michael Andrew (Lawrence, Kan./Race Pace Club), 21.46
2. Caeleb Dressel (Green Cove Springs, Fla./Bolles School Sharks), 21.93
3. Yuri Kisil (Canada), 22.02
Race Notes
- Andrew won his first major individual long-course medal in a lifetime-best time of 21.46.
- The U.S. has won Pan Pacs gold in the men’s 50m free in 11 of 13 opportunities.
- Dressel won three individual medals this week in Tokyo: gold in the 100m fly, silver in 100m free and silver in the 50m free.
- Tonight, Dressel also swam on the men’s 400m medley relay, which won gold.
Quotes
Michael Andrew (on his race strategy): “The strategy didn’t change too much. I knew I had to be with Caeleb or ahead at the 15 (meter mark). At Nationals he had a half a body length lead and I swam past. For me comfort wise, it would have been nice to start ahead and stay ahead. And so that was the strategy coming into it – start off quickly and hold it.”
Women’s 200m Breaststroke
1. Micah Sumrall (Pflugerville, Texas/Chattahoochee Gold Swim Club), 2:21.88
2. Lilly King (Evansville, Ind./Indiana University), 2:22.12
3. Satomi Suzuki (Japan), 2:22.22
Race Notes
- On her third Pan Pacs roster, Sumrall won her first career medal at the event with the No. 2 time of her career.
- King won gold earlier in the meet in the 100m breast and swam on the women’s 400m medley relay tonight, which won silver.
Quotes
Micah Sumrall (on her race strategy): “That was my strategy going into tonight, remain poised on the first 100 maintain it a little better on the third 50 and then on the fourth 50 instead of trying to up-tempo just really keeping a long stroke. That’s kind of my strong point and I wanted to capitalize on that.”
Men’s 200m Breaststroke
1. Ippei Watanabe (Japan), 2:07.75 (Pan Pacs record)
2. Zac Stubblety-Cook (Australia), 2:07.89
3. Matthew Wilson (Australia), 2:08.22
5. Josh Prenot (Santa Maria, Calif./California Aquatics), 2:08.44
Race Notes
- Prenot was fourth in the 200m breast at 2014 Pan Pacs.
- The United States has not won Pan Pacs gold in the men’s 200m breast since 2006.
Women’s 400m Medley Relay
1. Australia, 3:52.74 (Pan Pacs record)
2. United States (Kathleen Baker, Lilly King, Kelsi Dahlia, Simone Manuel), 3:53.21
3. Japan, 3:55.03
Race Notes
- The U.S. last won Pan Pacs gold in the women’s 400m medley relay in 2010.
- Baker, King and Manuel also won medals in individual races earlier in the session.
Men’s 400m Medley Relay
1. United States (Ryan Murphy, Andrew Wilson, Caeleb Dressel, Nathan Adrian), 3:30.20
2. Japan, 3:30.25
3. Australia, 3:30.52
Race Notes
- Adrian lifted Team USA to the win with a 47.71 freestyle anchor split.
- Murphy and Dressel also medaled in individual races earlier in the session.
Quotes
Nathan Adrian (on his decision to scratch today’s 50m free ahead of the relay): “I would be lying if I said I felt like I was at 100 percent and I knew that it was going to take a good one to make sure that we won. You have to make calls like that to make sure that you put yourself and your team in a position to win gold medals. Don’t get me wrong, I would have loved to compete there and try to win a 50 freestyle title, but that wasn’t what I needed to do.”
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