Top 5 Storylines To Follow At The 2024 Junior Pan Pacific Championships

2024 JUNIOR PAN PAC CHAMPIONSHIPS

• August 21-24, 2025
• Australian Institute of Sport Aquatic Centre, Canberra, Australia
• Long Course Meters (50 meters)
• Meet Central
• Live Streaming
• Live Results
• Heat Sheets
• Entries

Some of the top junior swimmers will compete this week in Canberra, Australia. 38 swimmers represent Team USA at the meet, all selected based on their results from the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials in June. Australia notably had a late switch in its roster which had featured Olympian Jaclyn Barclay.

Audrey Derivaux Makes Her International Debut

Audrey Derivaux made headlines in the 13-14 age group, breaking the 200 butterfly and 200 IM national age group (NAG) records this past winter in SCY. This summer, she made headlines at the Olympic Trials as she made the final of the women’s 400 IM.

Her exploits in Indianapolis earned her a roster spot on her first international team. She’s also now in the 15-16 age group. She earned her spot on the roster in the 200 fly and 400 IM but will swim in five total events this week, also adding the 100 fly, 200 back, and 200 IM to her lineup.

Less than a month ago, she continued her impressive trajectory this season by again swimming numerous best times at a meet, this time at Sectionals in Austin, Texas. Among her multiple bests, she dropped a 2:07.70 in the 200 fly, a time that is #2 in the 13-14 age group all-time. That swim also makes her the top seed in the event this week as no other entry is under the 2:10 mark.

The U.S. Looks For Top Spots In Women’s 100 Back

The United States continues to flex its depth in the female 100 backstroke. The U.S. girls took six of the top eight spots in prelims of the 100 back at the 2022 edition of the meet in Hawaii. With only two from each country allowed in each final, they went on to finish 1-3 in the event.

This year, the Americans will look to repeat their success in this event. The U.S. has five entries in the event, all entering as the top five seeds as well. Leah Shackley leads the way with a 59.25 ahead of three other girls who have been below the 1:00 mark. Those include one of the team captains, Teagan O’Dell (59.51), Charlotte Crush (59.86), and Erika Pelaez (59.94). Rylee Erisman is the #5 seed with a 1:00.04. Shackley notably was the top finisher out of the group at U.S. Trials as she swam a 59.40 in finals for 7th.

Battle Of The Nations In Girls’ 100 Breaststroke

It took 1:08.58 to win the event two years ago in Hawaii. But the field enters the meet much faster this year. Kotomi Kato won silver in the event two years ago in a 1:09.10 and looks to get back on the podium this year. Now 18 years old, she enters the meet as the top seed with a time of 1:07.62.

New Zealand’s Monique Wieruszowski, 17, also arrives in Canberra already in the 1:07 range. Wieruszowski is seeded with a 1:07.67, just ahead of a 1:07.72 entry from Australia’s Sienna Toohey. Tooney especially is aiming to make an impression at the international level. She’s one to watch as she could develop into the answer to the Australian women’s breaststroke problems at future senior international-level competitions.

Behind the girls already under the 1:08 mark, the U.S’s Raya Mellott (1:08.26) and Japan’s Anna Inagaki (1:08.37) are seeded in the low-1:08 range, separating themselves from another handful of athletes in the 1:08-high range. These two will try to not only fend off the rest of the deep field but bridge the gap to the top three contenders.

Wide Open Boys’ 100 Freestyle

Like the girls’ 100 breaststroke, the boys’ 100 freestyle is also a wide-open event. There are many countries in the mix for the medals, a stark contrast from the 2022 edition of this meet which featured Australia and the U.S. commanding the front of the race.

This year, seven boys are entered in the 49-second range, representing five different countries. South Korea’s Kim Youngbeom leads the field with his 49.09 entry time. Like Toohey for Australia, he’s someone who could earn an important role in South Korea’s relays in the coming years.

Behind him are Australia’s Marcus Da Silva and the U.S.’s Jason Zhao, seeded two-hundredths apart at 49.37 and 49.39. Zhao, another captain for the U.S., swam his personal best last summer, while Da Silva has swum two 100 freestyle personal bests already this year. In April, he posted his 49.37, tying Ian Thorpe as Australia’s sixth-fastest 17-year-old boy in the event.

Canada’s Laon Kim (49.65), Japan’s duo of  Riu Matsui (49.74) and Kazusa Kuroda (49.80), along with the United States’ Quin Seider (49.84) round out the top contenders in this 100 freestyle field.

Next Generation for Japanese Men’s Swimming Loading

Japan has one of the earliest Olympic Trials, and one of the storylines coming out of that meet was just how brutal it was–several big names missed out, including four-time Olympian Ryosuke Irie, who announced his retirement after nearly 20 years in the sport shortly after the meet ended.

It was the end of an era, but looking towards the next Olympic quad, Japan is developing a deep crew of boys that, while it’s still early, could make an impact at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. In addition to their two top sprinters Matsui and Kuroda, Michitora Kono is holding down the #2 seed in the 200 fly (1:58.31). At 15 years old, Shin Ohashi is the #2 seed in the 200 breaststroke with a 2:11.13, just .11 seconds behind top seeded Josh Bey. He’s also the second seed in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.10) and interestingly, is also entered in the 200/400 freestyle.

But the list isn’t done, because there’s also Riki Abe who forms a strong duo with Kono in the 200 fly and Asaki Nishikawa in the 400 IM. Abe is just behind Kono in the 200 fly (1:58.82), and together he and Nishikawa are the 1-2 seeds in the 400 IM. On paper, Abe is the only one who can see Nishikawa, who’s way out ahead of the field with a 4:11.94 entry time. At 4:13.95, Abe is the only other swimmer under 4:16 in the event.

One of the most intriguing things about this group for Japan is that while the swimmers form strong pairs that will threaten for the podium together, they do so in a wide variety of events.