The second night of competition at the 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships produced the kind of racing that reminds you why the sport commands attention far beyond Olympic years. At the centre of it all stood Katharine Berkoff, who touched the wall in 26.90 to win gold in the women’s 50 backstroke — a new American record, and her second consecutive victory over world-record holder Regan Smith in as many nights.
Smith, the dominant force in backstroke swimming for the better part of this decade, again settled for silver. Australia’s Iona Anderson claimed bronze. Back-to-back head-to-head wins over a swimmer of Smith’s calibre is not a footnote — it is a genuine statement about where Berkoff stands in the global hierarchy of the event.
But Berkoff’s record-breaking swim was only one piece of a full and consequential evening. Across the pool, in events ranging from the individual medley to the freestyle relays, the night delivered championship records, an unexpected upset, and at least one quietly remarkable human story.
Summer McIntosh arrived at the 400 individual medley with something to prove. The Canadian had suffered a rare defeat in the 200 freestyle on opening night — a result that, by all visible accounts, stung. The world record holder in the 400 IM answered with authority, blowing away the field in 4:28.01, a new championship record. Australia’s Jenna Forrester finished second in 4:31.50, Argentina’s Agostina Hein took bronze in 4:32.54, and American Alex Walsh placed fifth in 4:33.73. McIntosh’s response was measured in both time and temperament: composed, dominant, and entirely in keeping with her standing as one of the most complete swimmers in the world.
On the men’s side of the 400 IM, Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita edged American Carson Foster in a race that stayed close through every stroke. Matsushita won in 4:06.75, a championship record, with Foster just four hundredths behind in 4:07.11. Bobby Finke, fresh from a silver medal in the 800 freestyle the previous night, rounded out the podium in third — a strong showing that underscores American depth in the distance events.
The women’s 100 freestyle final produced the evening’s most dramatic finish. Gretchen Walsh, the fastest qualifier out of the heats and the winner of the 50 butterfly on opening night, led at the 50-metre turn. Australia’s Meg Harris, however, had other ideas. Harris found another gear over the back half of the race, out-touching Walsh at the wall — 52.60 to 52.78. Olivia Wunsch completed a 1-3 finish for Australia, claiming bronze in 52.98. It was Walsh’s first defeat of the meet, a reminder that even the sharpest form can be matched on any given night.
Jack Alexy left little doubt in the men’s 100 freestyle. The American record holder, who had raced unrested at U.S. Nationals specifically to conserve his peak for Pan Pacs, broke his own championship record to win in 47.14. Brazil’s Gui Caribe led early but could not hold off Alexy’s surge. Patrick Sammon backed up his domestic form with a runner-up finish in 47.62, Caribe held on for third in 47.89, and Chris Guiliano — racing in the consolation final — posted a 47.16, just two hundredths off the winning time. That depth of performance in a non-championship heat is worth noting.
McKenzie Siroky continued her breakout season with gold in the women’s 100 breaststroke, winning in 1:05.32. Siroky, who upset Kate Douglass by two hundredths at U.S. Nationals, again proved that result was no fluke. China’s Tang Qianting and Japan’s Satomi Suzuki joined her on the podium. Douglass, the 2025 national champion and world championship silver medalist in the event, finished fourth in 1:05.81 — a result that will sharpen her focus heading into the rest of the season.
Van Mathias, whose trajectory from former Indiana swimmer to director of operations to professional competitor reads like something a novelist might invent, won the men’s 100 breaststroke in 58.02, breaking his own championship record and narrowly missing his American record in the process. Japan’s Shin Ohashi took silver in 54.54 — a new world junior record — with Australia’s Samuel Williamson third in 59.34. Mathias’s story keeps accumulating chapters.
Quintin McCarty, who took the 50 backstroke at U.S. Nationals, delivered again on the international stage, breaking the championship record to win in 24.51. Australia’s Isaac Cooper, the top qualifier from prelims, was second in 24.59. American Will Modglin, coming off a world-record mixed medley relay performance the night before, claimed bronze in 24.66.
The relay events closed out the evening with contrasting results for the United States. The American men won the 4×200 freestyle in 6:49.37, a championship record, with Luke Hobson, Aaron Shackell, Patrick Sammon, and Gabriel Jett combining for an impressive performance. Australia’s Charlie Hawke made things interesting on the third leg, but Jett’s final turn sealed the result. Australia took silver in 7:01.10, Japan bronze in 7:02.74. Three of the four American legs were individually under the pace required to threaten the world relay record — a detail that illustrates just how difficult it is to synchronize peak performances across a team, even when the individual talent is plainly there.
In the women’s 4×200 freestyle, Australia edged the United States for gold, winning in 7:42.40 — another championship record — with the Americans seven-tenths back in 7:43.10. Katie Ledecky anchored hard but could not close the gap. Canada claimed bronze in 7:52.74, a result that will register with satisfaction across a country that has watched its swimming program build steadily through this generation of athletes.
Day three begins Friday, August 14, with heats at 1 p.m. ET and finals at 9 p.m. ET. The session is available in the United States on Peacock and in Canada on CBC Sports. On the schedule: the 400 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 200 backstroke, and 50 breaststroke for both women and men, along with the 4×100 freestyle relays. After two nights of championship records and genuine surprises, the competition has earned the attention it is about to receive.
