Pan American Games, Day 1: Paige Madden Sets Meet Record in Thrilling 400 Free
If all the races at the Pan American Games are going to be like Saturday’s opener, then it’s going to be one heck of a meet.
American Paige Madden took home the first gold medal of the meet, setting a meet record in the women’s 400 freestyle at Centro Acuatico in Santiago, Chile. She won a race in which the top four finishers were separated by less than half a second, with precious few lead changes the entire way.
Action from the first day of the meet:
Women’s 400 freestyle
One day short of her 25th birthday, Paige Madden added an international accolade to rival the relay silver she won at the 2020 Olympics. Madden was first at every wall from 150 meters on, on her way to a time of 4:06.45. It takes down Emily Overholt’s meet record of 4:08.42 from the 2015 Pan Am Games.
The time is Madden’s third-fastest 400 free. She went 4:03.98 in prelims of the Tokyo Olympics, then finished seventh in the final with a time slower than what she did Saturday.
The three women following her were also under the meet record. Brazil’s Maria Fernanda Da Silva Costa was second in 4:06.68. Her countrywoman Gabrielle Goncalves Roncatto grabbed bronze in 4:06.88. Both were locked in to second and third from 200 meters on. Rachel Stege of the U.S. finished second in 4:06.94.
Men’s 400 freestyle
Guilherme Costa of Brazil defending his top seed with aplomb, going 3:46.79 for a wire-to-wire win. In the process, he set the Pan Am Games record by downing Ryan Cochrane’s time of 3:48.29 from 2015.
Alfonso Mestre of Venezuela was also under that time to secure silver in 3:47.62. He was second the entire way but couldn’t quite bridge the gap to the Brazilian.
The U.S. added a bronze thanks to James Plage, who went 3:50.74. Teammate Jay Litherland, the second seed out of prelims, was fourth.
Women’s 100 breaststroke
Rachel Nichol led a Canadian 1-2 in pulling out a crowded 100 breast in which the top five were clustered within .85 seconds. Nicol was fifth at the wall but closed hard to win in 1:07.82. She passed her teammate, Sophie Angus, in the process, the latter getting silver in 1:07.55. Third was Macarena Ceballos of Argentina in 1:07.68, .24 up on Colombia’s Stefania Gomez Hurtado.
The leader at 50 meters, Mexico’s Byanca Rodriguez, slipped to sixth. The only American in the final, Emma Weber, was fifth, .45 out of the medals.
Men’s 100 breaststroke
The American men pulled off a 1-2 in the 100 breast, with Jake Foster and Noah Nichols leading the pack into the wall. Foster won the event in 59.99. He turned second at the wall behind Brazil’s Joao Gomes and closed fast to edge Nichols by .44 seconds. Foster’s time is just off his personal best of 59.64 from the TYR Pro Swim Series in July.
Nichols climbed from fifth to second in 1:00.43. Miguel De Lara Ojeda grabbed bronze in 1:00.90 ahead of Jorge Murillo. Gomes slid to fifth.
Women’s 200 butterfly
An American 1-2 didn’t quite materialize, but a sensational race did. Dakota Luther got to the wall first in 2:09.97 to win gold. She took control in the second 100 to hold off the advance of Maria Mata Cocco. The Mexican touched second in 2:10.35, .05 ahead of Kelly Pash. The American gleaned silver for her efforts.
Men’s 200 butterfly
Mason Laur played spoiler, taking control early and holding off Leonardo de Deus. Laur clocked in at 1:56.44, quickest at each wall. That allowed him to beat the 32-year-old Brazilian, who owns the Pan Am record dating to the 2015 incarnation of the meet. He added a silver to his collection, his 10th career Pan Am Games medal, in 1:57.25.
Jack Dalghren tried to reel him in late but ended up with bronze in 1:57.53. Hector Ruvalcaba of Mexico went 1:58.63 for fourth.
Women’s 400 freestyle relay
Canada packed its fair share of Olympians for the trip, and the veteran skill paid off in the 400 free relay. The Canadians claimed gold with the team of Mary-Sophie Harvey, Brooklyn Douthwright, Maggie MacNeil and Katerine Savard in 3:37.75. They edged the Americans by .67 seconds.
MacNeil unsurprisingly did the job, swimming the third leg. She split 53.14, dragging Canada from third to a lead of more than a second over the Americans. Savard grew the edge by nearly two tenths on the first 50 of her anchor leg, and while Amy Fulmer gained ground coming home, it was too little, too late.
Fulmer joined Gabi Albeiro, Catie De Loof and Kayla Wilson for silver.
Brazil led for the first 200 meters to create a cushion for bronze in 3:39.94.
Men’s 400 freestyle relay
Make it two relays and no golds for the U.S., though given the veteran makeup of other teams, that’s perhaps no surprise.
The Brazilian foursome of Gui Caribe, Marcelo Chierighini, Victor Alcara and Felipe Ribeiro de Souza went 3:13.51. They led wire to wire.
The Americans – Jonny Kulow, Adam Chaney, Jake Aikins, Brooks Curry – got within .18 seconds at the midpoint of Curry’s anchor leg. But de Souza pulled away for a winning margin of .71 seconds. The Americans went 3:14.22. Canada ran third the whole way for bronze.