Pan Pacific Junior Championships 2024
Team USA finished the final day of the 2024 Junior Pan Pacific Championships with another string of top performances, winning five of the evening’s ten events and placing at least one athlete on the podium in each event.
They also broke two more competition records as both the girls’ and boys’ 4×100 m medley relay teams beat previous record times.
The swimmers on Team USA brought tremendous energy that they maintained throughout the competition and it definitely paid off in the pool. The USA finished the competition with an impressive tally of 44 total medals, 21 gold medals, 11 Junior Pan Pacs meet records and one national age group record.
With the competition officially over, we’ve compiled a list of notable quotes from some of the day’s medalists, broken down by discipline.
*All quotes are courtesy of USA Swimming’s official publication on their website.*
Girls 200 m individual medley
Teagan O’Dell And Lilla Bognar started the evening strong with a 1st and 2nd place finish in the 200m individual medley, bringing home two medals and moving up the all-time American 17-18 age group rankings, with O’Dell coming in 10th and Bognar 11th. It was also O’Dell’s first personal best in the event in three years.
“Finishing 1st and 2nd with my teammate Lilla was a dream come true,” said O’Dell. “This race has been really tough for me over the last three years and I was finally able to get a personal best. I’m grateful to have been able to swim alongside her tonight.”
“(Place 1st and 2nd in the U.S.) was our goal before the competition and this race,” Bognar said. “We looked at each other in the prep room and nodded. Teagan is one of my best friends, so it’s exciting to be here for my team and to be here with her.”
Boys 200 m medley
18 years old Gregg Enoch showed several outstanding performances throughout the competition, especially in the 200m individual medley, where he made a tremendous leap and went home with a gold medal.
“It’s surreal – to come in with a personal best of 2:03 and drop three seconds to win gold for Team USA is exciting,” Enoch said. “To do that on the last day and finish on a high, I just can’t explain it.”
Boys 50 free
Quin Seider And Josh Howat brought home a silver and a bronze medal for the USA in the 50 m freestyle swimming, with the gap on the podium being only 0.15 points.
“To be back with Josh – he was my training partner in the sprint group the whole trip – to finish second and third with him was the coolest thing ever,” Seider said. “He was right next to me on the track, so it was perfect.”
“I’m just glad Quin and I were able to do it,” Howat said. “We knew it was going to be a tough race. It was a great way to end the competition and the season. Representing the USA here was a dream come true.”
Boys 200 Breast
Another 2:3 for Team USA was Josh Bey And Jordan Willis in the 200 m breaststroke. Bey ran a particularly good race, improving his preliminary time by over four seconds and moving up from 5th to 2nd place.
“I feel pretty good, especially considering that last year (at the Junior World Aquatics Championships) I was second in the 150 and sixth in the 200. It’s nice to be second in the 150 and second in the 200 this time,” Bey said. “I can’t complain at all.”
“Josh and I were on the World Juniors team last year and swam together in the finals there,” said Willis. “I’m glad we were able to make the podium this year. I had to tweak a few things between the heats and the finals and I’m glad I was able to do that. Time isn’t a big factor for me because I changed what I needed to change and that’s all that matters.”
Boys 1500 free
One of the most exciting races of the evening, the 1500 m freestyle, ended in a fierce battle between Japan’s Kazushi Imafuku and the United States Luke Elliswith Ellis ultimately taking second place after being narrowly overtaken by Imafuku. Ellis still remained several seconds under the previous meet record with a best time of 15:00.24.
“I feel good,” Ellis said. “I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get it (gold) in the end, but I tell myself I’d rather have a fun race and lose than win a race and not have any fun at all. The race we had; he (Imafuku) has all my respect. He made it interesting and fun, and I’m glad we were able to put on a show for everyone.”
Girls 800 Free
Secure a final one-two finish on the podium for Team USA. Kayla Han And Kennedi Dobson brought home gold and silver in the 800-meter freestyle, respectively. Although neither of them swam their personal best, they definitely kept the team spirit and energy high after the race.
“I’m so proud of Kennedi,” Han said. “We’ve become really close throughout the competition and I’m excited to see what she becomes. A 1st and 2nd place is always great for Team USA. I still have a lot of work to do and I’m excited for the journey ahead, but being here makes me proud of myself. The last few days have been pretty tough, so bringing home gold on the last day means a lot.”
“(Winning silver) means everything,” Dobson said. “I’m really honored to be part of this team and competing against Kayla was great. I don’t get to compete with her that often, so it was cool to be there with her. I’m so happy for her that she got gold – it was a great race.”
4×100 medley relay girls
The girls of the US team finished their part of the competition in spectacular fashion, beating the previous competition record by over 3.5 seconds with a time of 3:58.88. The team from Leah Shackley, Elle ScottO’Dell and Rylee Erisman He also narrowly missed the junior world record of 3:58.38.
“I was so happy,” O’Dell said. “I love relays and I was happy to finish my meet with one. I’m so proud of what Team USA did in this meet. It couldn’t have ended better.”
“I was so excited and ready to finish the relay again,” said Erisman (she was also the anchor of the 4×100 medley relay). “It was incredible. The energy in the final is unbeatable and I love it so much.”
“I was excited to be on the A relay,” Scott said. “I knew Leah would put us in the lead and I wanted to keep it, if not extend it. It was my last race of the meet and I feel like I gave it my all in the pool. Honestly, my teammates really cheered us on and helped us get the win.”
4×100 medley relay, boys
Not to be outdone by the girls, the US boys’ 4×100 medley relay team also set the competition record in their race. The team from Gavin Keogh, Joe Polyak, Robert Cox And Jason Zhao improved the time by over a second and secured a final gold medal for the USA in the last race of the competition.
“It’s always a great feeling to win a relay with three other guys,” said Zhao. “To cap off the competition like that and sing the national anthem as loud as possible – there’s no better feeling.”
One last comment
After the race: Technical Director of the 2024 Junior Pan Pacific Championships and Team Services Director of USA Swimming Brendan Hansen commented on the team atmosphere and experiences throughout the competition in Australia.
“It was a fantastic experience leading this team in Australia,” said Hansen. “This group really understands what it means to be a member of the U.S. Swim Team. They have taken care of themselves and supported each other, which has made them an unstoppable team. I look forward to seeing what this group will accomplish in the future.”
