Dolphins scoop nine medals on final night of Para Pan Pacs

AS the sun set on the final session of the Para Pan Pacific Championships at Walnut, California, it was almost impossible not to dream of LA 2028 and beyond.

The Dolphins final night raid at Mt San Antonio College resulted in three gold, two silver and four bronze taking the team total to 10 gold, 12 silver and 11 bronze.

It was another night of stellar racing from Australia’s brightest stars with budding teenagers Kael Thompson, Declan Budd and Victoria Belando Nicholson – and experienced Dolphins Ben Hance (pictured middle) and Rowan Crothers, just to name a few – signing off in style at the most important meet of the year.

Here is how the night unfolded:

> World-record holder Ben Hance started the party, claiming gold in the men’s 100m backstroke. The Sunshine Coast S14 swimmer clocked 56.26 to win the Dolphins first gold of the night.

> Kirralee Hayes – boasting one of the best comeback stories in sport – made the most of her only event of the meet to PB in the heats, and then again in the final (27.49) of the women’s 50m free. At 17, Hayes made her Paralympic debut in Tokyo in 2021 and a year later found herself standing on the podium at the Birmingham, claiming bronze for her first international medal at the 2022 Games – to then retire at 18. Glasgow 2026 marked her comeback to the sport and the relaxed, and happy, 22-year-old is swimming faster than ever.

> In an encore to opening night’s 100m freestyle battle that saw Marion’s Rowan Crothers take gold just ahead of St Peters Western’s Tom Gallagher, the Formula One jets went stroke-for-stroke in the 50m free with Crothers taking the double, Gallagher second and Alex Tuckfield making it a Dolphins podium clean sweep.

More than medals, the 15-day reconnaissance mission in California acted as a survey marker on the road trip to 2028.

Dolphins head coach Mel Tantrum said the meet provided an incredible opportunity and fact-finding mission for coaches, athletes and staff against top-tier international rivals.

“Our team of 37 Dolphins has met this meet with energy and purpose, and just two years out from the LA Games this meet provides an important opportunity to evaluate performance data, gain racing experience and build momentum for the road ahead,” Tantrum said.

“Importantly this meet has tested our heat procedures – the ambient temperature was extreme, the pool temperature was regularly more than 28 degrees and to have our athletes back up so well – we had 37 swims on the last day of heats this morning and 35 swims tonight  – is a credit to everyone.”

A cohort of athletes will join head coach Tantrum and General Manager of Paralympic Program Anna Johnson scouting potential staging locations in the lead up to the 2028 Paralympics.

HONOUR ROLL

GOLD (10)

1. Rowan Crothers – Men’s 100m Freestyle
2. Ahmed Kelly – Men’s 150m IM
3. Mixed 34pt Medley Relay (Jesse Aungles, Callum Simpson, Keira Stephens, Emily Beecroft)
4. Lakeisha Patterson – Women’s 400m Freestyle
5. Harrison Vig – Men’s 400m Freestyle
6. Mixed S14 4x100m Freestyle (Maddie McTernan, Jack Ireland, Ruby Storm, Ben Hance) – Oceania record
7. Mixed 34pt 4x100m Freestyle (Rowan Crothers, Lakeisha Patterson, Chloe Osborn, Callum Simpson)
8. Ben Hance – Men’s 100m backstroke
9. Rowan Crothers – men’s 50m freestyle
10. Mixed 20pt 4x50m Medley (Grant Patterson, Ahmed Kelly, Emily Beecroft, Amelie Springett-Kelly)

SILVER (12)

1. Tom Gallagher – Men’s 100m Freestyle
2. Grant Patterson – Men’s 150m IM
3. Maddie McTernan – Women’s 200m Freestyle – Oceania record
4. Mixed 34pt Medley Relay (Liam Togher, Tim Hodge, Chloe Osborn, Jasmine Greenwood)
5. Mixed S14 Medley Relay (Ruby Storm, Ricky Betar, Declan Budd & Montana Atkinson)
6. Callum Simpson – Men’s 400m Freestyle
7. Jake Michel – Men’s 100m Breaststroke
8. Ahmed Kelly – Men’s 50m Breaststroke
9. Mixed S14 4x100m Freestyle (Kael Thompson, Stephanie Bruzzese, Darren Sisman, Declan Budd)
10. Mixed 34pt 4x100m Freestyle (Tom Gallagher, Tim Hodge, Amelie Springett-Kelly, Emily Beecroft)
11. Tom Gallagher – Men’s 50m freestyle
12. Declan Budd – Men’s 100m butterfly

BRONZE (11)

1. Lakeisha Patterson – Women’s 100m Freestyle
2. Callum Simpson – Men’s 100m Freestyle
3. Ruby Storm – Women’s 200m Freestyle
4. Declan Budd – Men’s 200m Freestyle
5. Jack Ireland – Men’s 200m Freestyle
6. Brenden Hall – Men’s 400m Freestyle
7. Grant Patterson – Men’s 50m Breaststroke
8. Alex Tuckfield – Men’s 50m freestyle
9. Ricky Betar – Men’s 200m IM
10.  Kael Thompson – women’s 100m butterfly
11. Alex Saffy – Men’s 100m butterfly