The Dolphins exceeded expectations at the Pan Pacs. There’s even better to come in LA 2028

August 17, 2026 — 3:30pm

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Los Angeles: When half a dozen of Australia’s top swimmers decided not to compete at the Pan Pacific Championships, there were fears of an American bloodbath at the quadrennial event in Irvine, California.

The reality could not have been more different. The USA won 19 gold medals to Australia’s 15 in a hugely encouraging sign for the Dolphins less than two years out from the Los Angeles Olympics.

Two of their biggest stars, backstroker Kaylee McKeown (glandular fever) and freestyler Mollie O’Callaghan, (back) missed the event due to health concerns.

Australia’s most bankable gold medal prospect right now is reigning Olympic and world champion Cam McEvoy in the 50m freestyle, but he was back in Queensland plotting his next campaign. Kyle Chalmers was on dad duties in Paris watching his wife compete at the European Championships – a meeting that has provided another useful measuring stick against the Dolphins’ performances in California.

Flynn Southam, arguably Australia’s breakout star of the Commonwealth Games after his sizzling 47.09 in the 100m freestyle, posted photos of himself fishing back home, while 203-centimetre backstroker Henry Allan is back in Australia preparing for school exams. Shayna Jack has retired and is about to get married.

Yet Australia filled those enormous gaps with aplomb, producing a stack of personal bests, unexpected winners and performances that suggest the Dolphins’ depth remains the envy of most swimming nations. Had Australia........

© Brisbane Times