By Terin Frodyma on SwimSwam
2026 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS
August 12-15, 2026 Irvine, California William Woollett Jr. Aquatic Center LCM (50 meters) Meet Central Psych Sheets Live ResultsWith the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships just two days away, the competition is headlined by several massive names in the sport. However, there are several athletes who, coming into this season, were ones that fans were very excited to see take center stage in Irvine.
Kaylee McKeown – Australia
One of the biggest names out of the meet will be Australian women’s backstroke ace Kaylee McKeown, who medically withdrew from both the Commonwealth Games and these Pan Pac Championships after contracting mononucleosis, also known as glandular fever. McKeown had previously been dealing with illness during the Australian Trials, in which she withdrew from the 200 IM, but still swept the backstroke events at that meet.
Her absence will be heavily felt in the backstroke races in Irvine, as she will miss out on marquee matchups with her international rival Regan Smith of the United States. McKeown still appears all over the world rankings this season in the backstroke events, notably as the top performer in the 200 back (2:03.98), the 3rd fastest in the 100 back (57.77), and the 4th fastest in the 50 back (27.13), all of which came at the Australian Trials in June.
Australia will still feature other prominent backstroke talents in Irvine, including the likes of Iona Anderson and Hannah Fredericks, but not getting to see McKeown battle with the likes of Smith, Katharine Berkoff, and Claire Curzan will definitely be a big downside to what are set up to be some stellar fields with high stakes in Irvine.
Cam McEvoy – Australia
One of the top swims of the entire long-course season belongs to Australian sprint ace Cam McEvoy and the blistering 20.88 world-record-breaking 50 freestyle swim from the China Open. McEvoy announced back in May that he would not be attending the Pan Pacific Championships, instead opting to set his sights on the Commonwealth Games, leaving the Pan Pacs without the world’s fastest-ever freestyler.
McEvoy likely would have only raced the 50 free, which is loaded with US talent, including the likes of Jack Alexy, Michael Andrew, Quintin McCarty, Chris Guiliano, and Van Mathias, among many others. Also inserted in that mix are Gui Caribe of Brazil and fellow countryman Jaime Jack, which should make for a tightly contested event in itself. Had McEvoy swum at this meet, few swimmers in the world can truly go toe-to-toe with him, so he would be a big-time favorite.
The absence will be noticeable, as now the US team will be solid favorites, with a multitude of options to go to in the 50 free on the men’s side. Leaving the Australian team with Jack, Isaac Cooper, and Kai Taylor as the last line of defense against the US contingent.
Tomoru Honda – Japan
Tomoru Honda is a very late subtraction from these Pan Pacs, after being indicted for violating an Act on Punishment of Offenses relating to Driving. This involvement will keep Honda out of both the Pan Pacific Championships and the Asian Games later this summer.
Honda, an Olympic silver medalist, was seeded as the #2 seed in the men’s 200 butterfly for these championships with his 1:52.70 seed time, only trailing 2025 World Champion Luca Urlando‘s 1:51.87. He also was set to race both the 100 fly (#11 seed, 51.49) and the 400 IM (#8 seed, 4:09.98).
The 400 IM will still feature a load of Japanese talent, including Tomoyuki Matsushita, Asaki Nishikawa, and Yumeki Kojima, all of whom were seeded ahead of him anyway. However, the 200 fly will be a big hit to the Japanese team. The 200 fly already has only 15 entrants on the entry list for these championships, as Honda was the lone Japanese swimmer in the event, leaving the event with only 14 swimmers. The 100 fly will still feature Katsuhiro Matsumoto and Shoon Mitsunaga as representatives of Japan.
Mollie O’Callaghan – Australia
Mollie O’Callaghan has been heavily featured in swimming news over the last month or so, after sharing that she had been dealing with a stress fracture in her back, though she was optimistic that she would be good to go for both the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacs. That would not end up being the case, as the Australian freestyle and backstroke talent announced in late July that she would be withdrawing from Pan Pacs as a result of those lingering back issues.
Despite the injury, O’Callaghan was able to produce solid results at the Commonwealth Games, winning gold in all three Australian women’s relays, an individual gold in the 200 free (1:54.66), and a silver in the 100 free (53.25). She did not compete in any of the backstroke races, even despite McKeown not racing.
O’Callaghan was entered in these championships in four events: the 50, 100, and 200 freestyles, and the 50 backstroke. She was set up for several major clashes with other top stars such as Gretchen Walsh, Kate Douglass, Simone Manuel, Summer McIntosh, Katharine Berkoff, and Torri Huske.
Kyle Chalmers – Australia
Kyle Chalmers is another Australian talent to choose the Commonwealth Games over the Pan Pacific Championships, specifically citing the financial bonuses for the Australian team members at that meet by way of a sponsorship from Gina Rinehart. In total, Chalmers secures A$40,000 AUD as a result of his performance in Glasgow.
Chalmers took gold in the 50 fly in a lifetime best of 22.73, and added a 3rd place finish in the 100 free in 47.74. Chalmers made his decision to skip this event way back in March. Still, as the season has progressed, the what-could-have-been situations have continued to evolve, such as a potential 50 fly with Michael Andrew or Van Mathias, or the 100 free against Alexy and Guiliano.
Chalmers is another notable absence for the Aussie men in the sprint freestyle, leaving them without the team’s top 50 freestyler and 100 freestyler in Irvine.
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