Editorial content for the 2018 Pan Pacific Championship coverage is sponsored by TritonWear. Visit TritonWear.com for more information on our sponsor. For full Swimming World coverage, check event coverage page. <script type="text/javascript" src="https://ads.swimmingworldmagazine.com/absolutebm.aspx?b=1333"></script>
Team USA put on a show in Cairns, Australia, for the 2018 Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships, which was held Aug. 9-13. The team, comprised of 15 women and five men, took home 65 medals, including 33 gold, 19 silver and 13 bronze.
Becca Meyers (Baltimore, Maryland) kicked off the first day of competition in record-setting fashion, swimming to a new world record in the S12 400-meter freestyle. She finished the race in a time of 4:24.30 to win the gold medal. To complete a full sweep of her events, Meyers also won gold in the 100 breaststroke, 100 freestyle, 200 individual medley and the 100 butterfly.
The team’s performance was highlighted by Sophia Herzog (Fairplay, Colorado) who won gold in all six events she entered despite having knee surgery in April. She swam to first-place finishes in the 100 backstroke, 400 free, 100 breast, 200 IM, 50 fly and 50 free.
Julia Gaffney (Mayflower, Arkansas) and McClain Hermes (Dacula, Georgia) each return home with six medals, while Jessica Long (Baltimore, Maryland) and Robert Griswold (Freehold, New Jersey) earned five medals at the Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships.
Five Team USA athletes swam to four medals: McKenzie Coan (Clarkesville, Georgia), Ahalya Lettenberger (Glen Ellyn, Illinois), Lizzi Smith (Muncie, Indiana), Leanne Smith (Beverly, Massachusetts) and Colleen Young (St. Louis, Missouri).
The meet featured athletes from the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Japan and Singapore. Full results from the meet can be found here.
Next up for Team USA is the California Classic in Yucaipa, California, from Sept. 15-16, followed by the Fred Lamback Disability Meet in Augusta, Georgia, from Oct. 20-21. The U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships will be held Dec. 14-16 in Tucson, Arizona.
The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with the United States Olympic Committee. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.
Very proud