Pan Pacific Champs Open Water Team Announced

Swimming Australia today named a six-member Dolphins open water team to contest the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships at Long Beach, California on August 10.

While their pool counterparts will discover their US fortunes at the conclusion of racing at next month’s Australian Swimming Trials in Sydney, Australia’s best open water swimmers recently fought for selection in the waters of Europe.

Headlining the Dolphins team is the current world’s best female swimmer Moesha Johnson (pictured) and fellow Olympians Nick Sloman and Chelsea Douyere (nee Gubecka).

Johnson has not lost a 10km event this year and earlier this month in Italy secured a third consecutive 10km World Cup crown.

The team was selected on a point-scoring system across the 2026 Open Water World Cup stops in Ibiza, Spain and Golfo Aranci, Italy.

Sloman and Douyere, winners of this year’s Australian Cup, are both experienced campaigners and competed at the 2018 Pan Pac Championships in Tokyo. Douyere finished seventh with Sloman claiming bronze in his Dolphins’ debut.

At Long Beach, swimmers from European nations will also be able to compete after the Charter Nations, of which Australia is one, agreed European nations could compete.

The Pan Pacific Championships are held every four years between charter nations of USA, Japan, Australia and Canada and Tiana Kritzinger and rookies Euan Liney and Jacqueline Davison-McGovern have also made the team.

For Liney and Davison-McGovern, who have steadily risen through the ranks, the Championships will mark their Australian Dolphins debut.

Pool distance swimmer Kritzinger represented Australia in the 1500m at the 2025 World Short Course Championships but burst on to the open water scene in January with a 10km bronze medal at the Australian Open Water Championships.

Training at Rackley under Damien Jones, she is a firm chance to double up as both a pool and open water Dolphin for the Pan Pacific Championships.

Head coach Fernando Possenti, who will spearhead the open water cycle towards the 2028 LA Olympic Games, said the team was a mix of proven performers and rising rookies.

“Moesha, Nick and Chelsea – they have been the spine of this Dolphins team on the international stage. But what we have now is a keen younger generation snapping at their heels,” Possenti said.

“This puts us in a great position as we head towards the LA Games. Open Water is not part of the Commonwealth Games so this their moment to shine and the selection of this team is a great nod to the outstanding distance programs in this country.

“To have Tiana out of Rackley and JDM (McGovern) from St Peters Western make this team shows the potential and possibility of transitioning between pool and open water programs and this is exciting for swimming in Australia.”

The Pan Pacific Championships pool events will be held in Irvine, California from August 12-15.

PAN PACIFIC CHAMPS OPEN WATER TEAM:

• Jacqueline Davison-McGovern* – St Peters Western, QLD
• Chelsea Douyere – Yeronga Park, QLD
• Moesha Johnson – Miami, QLD
• Tiana Kritzinger – Rackley, QLD
• Euan Liney* – Knox Pymble Swim Club, NSW
• Nick Sloman – Melbourne Vicentre, VIC

* Dolphin Debut