Pan Pacs 2026 Preview: Brutal Schedules, Breakout Stars & Must-Watch Races

The summer of swimming continues! 🇺🇸🇨🇦🇦🇺🇯🇵 With the European Championships right around the corner, the Propulsion Swimming Podcast are also looking across the pond to preview the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California!

In this episode, we highlight exactly who and what you need to be watching during this four-day sprint of a meet. We dive into the brutal event clashes on the schedule, the unmatched depth of the American women's sprint field (featuring Gretchen Walsh and Kate Douglas), and the highly anticipated distance freestyle showdowns including Sam Short vs. Bobby Finke and the potential 800m Free clash of the titans: Katie Ledecky, Lani Pallister, and Summer McIntosh.

Plus, we highlight some massive breakout stars to keep on your radar, including 17-year-old Australian Sienna Toohey and the rising wave of Japanese breaststroke phenoms led by Shin Ohashi.

📸 Istvan Derencsenyi/World Aquatics