2018 Pan Pacific Championships: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

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

The penultimate preliminary session from the Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo will feature the 400 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 200 IM, with the 400 free relays being added to the schedule for finals.

Some of the highlights today include Japan’s Rikako Ikee and American Kelsi Dahlia going head-to-head in the women’s 100 fly, Americans Katie Ledecky (400 free), Caeleb Dressel (100 fly) and Chase Kalisz (200 IM) competing in (one of) the events in which they are the reigning World Champion, and Japan’s Yui Ohashi leading a stacked field in the women’s 200 IM.

The men’s 400 free will also feature 200 free winner Townley Haas, 1500 runner-up Zane Grothe, and 2016 Olympic Champion Mack Horton.

Women’s 400 Free Prelims

• Pan Pac Record: 3:58.37, Katie Ledecky (USA), 2014

1. Katie Ledecky, USA, 4:02.57
2. Leah Smith, USA, 4:04.91
3. Ariarne Titmus, AUS, 4:06.47
4. Ally McHugh, USA, 4:08.72
5. Madeleine Gough, AUS, 4:09.09
6. Kiah Melverton, AUS, 4:10.07
7. Emily Overholt, CAN, 4:10.58
8. Waka Kobori, JPN, 4:10.78
9. Katie Drabot, USA, 4:11.09
10. Kennedy Goss, CAN, 4:13.00
11. Chihiro Igarashi, JPN, 4:13.14

Defending champion Katie Ledecky cruised to the top seed in the women’s 400 free with a win in the third and final heat, clocking a time of 4:02.57. Her American teammate Leah Smith (4:04.91) took 2nd in the heat and ends up in that position overall heading to tonight’s A-final.

Ariarne Titmus, the 2nd fastest woman in the world this year behind Ledecky, easily won heat 2 in 4:06.47 for the 3rd seed, and her teammate Madeleine Gough (4:09.09) beat out Kiah Melverton (4:10.07) for the 2nd Aussie spot in the A-final.

Emily Overholt of Canada had a big performance from heat 1 to qualify 5th into the final, clocking 4:10.58 for her fastest swim in over three years. American Ally McHugh improved her previous personal best of 4:11.32 all the way down to 4:08.72 and will swim the B-final along with Katie Drabot tonight.

Men’s 400 Free Prelims

• Pan Pac Record: 3:41.83, Ian Thorpe (AUS), 1999

1. Zane Grothe, USA, 3:45.32
2. Jack McLoughlin, AUS, 3:45.41
3. Mack Horton, AUS, 3:47.75
4. Grant Shoults, USA, 3:48.23
5. Conor Dwyer, USA, 3:48.60
6. Elijah Winnington, AUS, 3:49.27
7. Naito Ehara, JPN, 3:50.17
8. Robert Finke, USA, 3:51.23
9. Fernando Scheffer, BRA, 3:51.78
10. Sean Grieshop, USA, 3:52.04
11. Shogo Takeda, JPN, 3:52.23
12. Townley Haas, USA, 3:53.36
13. Wesley Roberts, COK, 3:54.08

Zane Grothe produced the 2nd-fastest swim of his career (and fastest this year) to claim the top seed in the men’s 400 freestyle, followed closely by Aussie Jack McLoughlin who was just 0.2 off his best from the Commonwealth Games.

Mack Horton and Grant Shoults slid in for the 2nd A-final spots for Australia and the United States, leaving 5th and 6th fastest overall Conor Dwyer and Elijah Winnington to swim in the B-final. 200 freestyle gold medalist Townley Haas ended up back in 12th overall.

Women’s 100 Fly Prelims

• Pan Pac Record: 57.30, Jessicah Schipper (AUS), 2006

1. Rikako Ikee, JPN, 56.90
2. Kelsi Dahlia, USA, 57.36
3. Emma McKeon, AUS, 57.99
4. Rebecca Smith, CAN, 58.13
5. Mallory Comerford, USA, 58.23
6. Katie McLaughlin, USA, 58.34
7. Brianna Throssell, AUS, 58.47
8. Regan Smith, USA, 58.59
9. Ai Soma, JPN, 58.70
10. Laura Taylor, AUS, 59.36
11. Yui Yamane, JPN, 59.41
12. Suzuka Hasegawa, JPN, 59.52
13. Sachi Mochida, JPN, 59.68
14. Danielle Hanus, CAN, 59.69

Rikako Ikee popped off a new Pan Pac meet record from heat 1 to take the top seed in the women’s 100 fly in 56.90, breaking Jessicah Schipper‘s 2006 mark of 57.30. Ikee sits atop the world rankings (tied with Sarah Sjostrom) this year with a 56.23.

Kelsi Dahlia and Emma McKeon were the only others under 58 seconds in 57.36 and 57.99 respectively, while Canadian Rebecca Smith was 4th in 58.13.

Mallory Comerford (58.23) snagged the second U.S. A-final spot over Katie McLaughlin (58.34). Behind Dahlia, McLaughlin is in position to qualify for the 2019 World Championships in this event, provided either Comerford or Regan Smith don’t beat her 57.51 time from Nationals in the final.

Men’s 100 Fly Prelims

• Pan Pac Record: 50.86, Michael Phelps (USA), 2010

1. Caeleb Dressel, USA, 51.69
2. Jack Conger, USA, 51.76
3. Vini Lanza, BRA, 51.98
4. Michael Andrew, USA / Grant Irvine, AUS, 51.99
5. –
6. Yuki Kobori, JPN, 52.23
7. Iago Moussalem, BRA, 52.27
8. Zach Harting, USA, 52.46
9. David Morgan, AUS, 52.47
10. Yuya Yajima, JPN, 52.86

Americans Caeleb Dressel and Jack Conger led the men’s 100 fly prelims with swims of 51.69 and 51.76, and Brazilian Vini Lanza (51.98) and Aussie Grant Irvine (51.99) were also sub-52 and will be in tonight’s A-final.

Michael Andrew had a solid swim to tie with Irvine in 4th overall, but will be relegated to the B-final along with Zach Harting. The A-final will feature two Americans, two Australians, two Brazilians and two Japanese men.

Women’s 200 IM Prelims

• Pan Pac Record: 2:09.93, Emily Seebohm (AUS), 2010 / Maya Dirado (USA), 2014

1. Miho Teramura, JPN, 2:09.86
2. Sydney Pickrem, CAN, 2:10.07
3. Yui Ohashi, JPN, 2:10.23
4. Ella Eastin, USA, 2:10.25
5. Melanie Margalis, USA, 2:11.18
6. Kathleen Baker, USA, 2:11.26
7. Sakiko Shimizu, JPN, 2:11.90
8. Kelsey Wog, CAN, 2:12.62
9. Brooke Forde, USA, 2:13.33
10. Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson, CAN, 2:13.67
11. Bethany Galat, USA, 2:16.49
12. Elliot De Bever, PER, 2:17.78
13. Micah Sumrall, USA, 2:18.09
14. Chloe Isleta, PHI, 2:19.39

Miho Teramura of Japan was the only swimmer sub-2:10 in the women’s 200 IM prelims, breaking the 2:09.93 meet record in a time of 2:09.86. Teramura was previously ranked 8th in the world with her 2:10.21 from the Japan Swim, but moves to 6th with this swim. Her teammate Yui Ohashi qualified 3rd overall.

Both Sydney Pickrem and Ella Eastin swam their first races of the competition here, and both had stellar performances. Pickrem took 2nd in 2:10.07, just off her season-best of 2:09.92, and Eastin swam a personal best for 4th and the top American spot in 2:10.25. Eastin had scratched her earlier events as she’s been dealing with mono over the past month.

Melanie Margalis nabbed the second American A-final spot in 2:11.18 over National Champion Kathleen Baker (2:11.26).

Men’s 200 IM Prelims

• Pan Pac Record: 1:54.43, Ryan Lochte (USA), 2010

1. Chase Kalisz, USA, 1:57.07
2. Kosuke Hagino, JPN, 1:57.60
3. Abrahm Devine, USA, 1:58.45
4. Clyde Lewis, AUS, 1:58.47
5. Daiya Seto, JPN, 1:58.50
6. Hiromasa Fujimori, JPN, 1:58.78
7. Mitch Larkin, AUS, 1:59.48
8. Jay Litherland, USA, 1:59.91
9. Leonardo Santos, BRA, 2:00.25
10. Lewis Clareburt, NZL, 2:00.92

World #1 Chase Kalisz was dominant through 150 metres in the final heat of the men’s 200 IM, cruising home to touch in a time 1:57.07 for the top seed heading into the final. Kalisz leads the world rankings with his 1:55.73 from U.S. Nationals.

Kosuke Hagino, who sits 2nd in the world ranks at 1:56.37, won the heat prior to Kalisz in 1:57.60 for the #2 seed in what should be an exciting rematch from last summer where they went 1-2 at the World Championships.

Abrahm Devine easily claimed the 2nd U.S. spot in the A-final in 1:58.45, and Austrlian Clyde Lewis was just a few tenths off his season-best for 4th in 1:58.47. Daiya Seto, ranked 5th in the world, edged teammate Hiromasa Fujimori by 0.28 for the second Japanese spot in the A-final.

Jay Litherland was the only other American to put up a time (1:59.91) after Andrew Seliskar was DQed for a non-simultaneous touch on breaststroke and Dressel didn’t show.