World Junior champion Jaclyn Barclay highlights a 40-swimmer roster for the Australian contingent at the 2024 Junior Pan Pacific Championships, which will be held in the Aussie capital of Canberra from August 21-24.
The competition marks the first time it will be hosted by Australia, as its previously only ever taken place in Hawaii, Guam or Fiji.
Barclay is one of six swimmers on the roster who won a medal at the 2023 World Junior Swimming Championships in Netanya, where Barclay won gold in the women’s 100 back and added three more medals, including a second individually in the 50 back.
This past February, Barclay won four medals at the 2024 World Championships in Doha, earning silver in the 200 back while winning a medal in all three female relays, including gold as a prelim swimmer in the 400 medley.
The Aussie girls’ roster also includes freestyle sprinter Milla Jansen, who won silver at World Juniors in the 100 free and added three relay gold medals, including being a part of the World Junior Record-setting mixed 400 free relay.
Other medal winners from World Juniors on the girls’ side are Hannah Casey, Amelia Weber and Hayley Mackinder, while the boys’ squad only features one medalist from Netanya, freestyler Marcus da Silva.
“Competing nations will send full-strength teams, so this meet is a good measure on how our pathways and our athletes are heading ahead of LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032,” said Aussie Team Leader Gary Barclay.
“It also is a chance to track and measure the strokes we have targeted – like breaststroke. Sienna Toohey and Olympia Pope have produced world-class times for their age group recently and at this meet gives them a chance to race internationally, under age-group pressure and in front of a home crowd.”
One notable name missing from the roster is Olivia Wunsch, who swept the girls’ 50 and 100 free at the 2023 World Juniors. Other reigning World Junior champions such as Flynn Southam, Jamie Perkins and Iona Anderson have aged up and are no longer eligible for Junior Pan Pacs as they’ll turn 19 this year.
Churchie (Queensland) head coach Richard Sleight and Caulfield Aquatics coach Kenrick Monk both put three swimmers on the roster, leading all clubs.
CEO of Swimming Australia Rob Woodhouse said: “We’re delighted to be hosting this event. The athletes coming through the junior ranks now are incredibly fortunate that Australia is hosting Olympic Games within the next eight years.”
“Racing opportunities like this are critical for our young developing athletes.”
FULL ROSTER
Girls
| First | Last | Club | State | Home Coach |
| Zoe | Ammundsen | Churchie | QLD | Richard Sleight |
| Jaclyn | Barclay | St Peters Western | QLD | Dean Boxall |
| Mikayla | Bird | Bond | QLD | Chris Mooney |
| Hannah | Casey | Bond | QLD | Chris Mooney |
| Jessica | Cole | Wests Illawarra | NSW | Pat Stellino |
| Sylvia | Czajko | UWA West Coast | WA | Rob Palfery |
| Giselle | Davey | Caufield | VIC | Kenrick Monk |
| Elloise | Doolan | Somerville House | QLD | Sarah Caithness |
| Ava | Gaske | Chandler | QLD | Tyoshi Kimura |
| Milla | Jansen | Bond | QLD | Chris Mooney |
| Hayley | MacKinder | Griffith | QLD | Tom Fraser-Holmes |
| Lillie | McPherson | Manly | NSW | Justin Rothwell |
| Inez | Miller | Fenix | WA | Ben Higson |
| Olympia | Pope | Miami | QLD | Paul Crosswell |
| Julia | Remington | All Saints | QLD | Ken Sabotic |
| Isabel | Sheldrick | Fenix | WA | Deb Jones |
| Amelie | Smith | Rocky City | QLD | Shane Kingston |
| Poppy | Stephen | Nudgee | QLD | Shaun Crow |
| Sienna | Toohey | Albury | NSW | Wayne Gould |
| Amelia | Weber | St Peters Western | QLD | Cam Gledhill |
Boys
| First | Last | Club | State | Home Coach |
| Sean | Alcorn | St Hildas WA | WA | Zoe Baker |
| Jackson | Anderson | Highlanders WA | WA | Ryan Steenkamp |
| Thomas | Booth | Southside Aquatics | QLD | Lachlan Staples |
| Xavier | Collins | Westside Christ Church | WA | Jon Harrison |
| Josh | Conias | Somerville House | QLD | Tim Lane |
| Tex | Cross | Highlanders WA | WA | Ryan Steenkamp |
| Marcus | Da Silva | Cranbrook | NSW | Bec Wheatley |
| Lucas | Fackerell | Breakers | WA | Harry Clarke |
| Joel | Fleming | Forster | NSW | Peter Sanders |
| Bradan | Fyneman | UWA West Coast | WA | Rob Palfery |
| Sam | Higgs | Warringah | NSW | Angelo Basalo |
| Josh | Kerr | Manly | NSW | Justin Rothwell |
| Ike | Martinez | Rackley | QLD | Damien Jones |
| Blair | McKitrick | Nudgee | QLD | Shaun Crow |
| Joshua | Moore | USC Spartans | QLD | Michael Sage |
| Jack | Morrow | St Andrews | QLD | Ash Delaney |
| Jacob | Nimmo | Caufield | VIC | Kenrick Monk |
| Thomas | Pattinson | Churchie | QLD | Richard Sleight |
| William | Shepherd-Smith | Churchie | QLD | Richard Sleight |
| Nicholas | Stoupas | Caufield | VIC | Kenrick Monk |
COACHING STAFF
Simon Cusack, who led the Aussie team to a 16-medal haul at the 2023 World Juniors, will return as the head coach in Canberra.
His staff will comprise the following:
Coaches:
| First | Last | Club | State |
| Sarah | Caithness | Somerville House | QLD |
| Shaun | Crow | Nudgee | QLD |
| Cam | Gledhill | St Peters Western | QLD |
| Wayne | Gould | Albury | NSW |
| Kenrick | Monk | Caufield | VIC |
| Rob | Palfery | UWA West Coast | WA |
| Justin | Rothwell | Manly | NSW |
| Richard | Sleight | Churchie | QLD |
| Ryan | Steenkamp | Highlanders WA | WA |
| Bec | Wheatley | Cranbrook | NSW |
Support Staff:
| Gary | Barclay | GM Performance Pathways |
| Hayley | Van Den Boom | Team Manager |
| Lachlan | Mitchell | Physiologist |
| Elise | Bereza | Sport Psychologist |
| Jason | Bartram | Physiologist |
| Emily | Nicol | Biomechanist |
| Gabby | Harth | Biomechanist |
| Jemma | Bassi | Strength and Conditioning |
| Andrew | Cameron | Physiotherapist |
| Kara | Roffey | Physiotherapist |
| Jack | Cookson | Doctor |
Scheduled for August 21-24, the competition will be hosted at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra.
Out of curiosity anyone know what is going on with Hannah Casey? She was swimming amazing times at 15yo…
Don’t suppose anyone knows why Neill scratched open champs after swimming just one event?
No Wunsch or De Lutiis from the World Junior Champion 4×100 Free squad. Who are most likely to join Jansen and Casey and fill those 2 vacant spots?
Amelia Weber would be one I guess.
Weber didn’t even swim the 100 at nationals. The top four selected were:
54.13 Jansen
55.67 Davey
55.77 Casey
55.84 McPherson
Why no Wunsch ?
No one knows. Presumably she chose not to be selected. Maybe she’s confident she’ll make Paris.
and Piper Asquith. Who they accidentally put a photo of in the press release???
Asquith lost the spot to Weber who swam at open champs.
I believe she’s also in her final year of school, so perhaps going all in trying to qualify for the Olympics and choosing to skip this meet to study.
Both Barclay and Jansen in Final year as well.
“Brrrrrrrr…. I’m freezing”
(Every swimmer who arrives in Canberra)
Why hold it in the winter in Canberra?
Cairns would have been a nice trip for the kids…unless they like snow!
Guess you’ve never been to a meet in the winter in Winnipeg or Edmonton. Cover your heads kids your hair can break off.
The announcement last year said they’ll be housed on site with meals provided so I imagine that reduces the cost of hosting a lot.
Laughs in Canadian….
3:44 PM MDT Monday 29 April 2024
Potential for significant snowfall this week.
Snow is expected to begin Tuesday evening and continue through Wednesday. Total amounts between 10 to 25 cm are possible by Thursday morning, with the highest amounts falling west of Highway 2 over higher terrain.
The snow will be heavy and wet, and may be mixed with rain in some areas, so total snowfall amounts will vary widely.
Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to [email protected] or tweet reports using #ABStorm.
4 degree centigrade outside.
Australians: wearing 7 layers of clothing
Canadians: wearing t-shirts and shorts “Ah, such a nice balmy weather”
In Sydney, it is 1 layer for every degree below 15 🙂
I arrived in Canberra some years ago with nothing warmer than a suit jacket. It was -7 or -9 that day lol
I bought a hooded dressing gown (robe) last week. Doubt I will take it off until about November 😉