Pan Pacs Day 2: Eight medals for Aus including two surging gold

THAT’S the thing about being the underdog – the Dolphins love it.

The Australian swim team stunned the crowd in Irvine, California with a late flourish that saw the Dolphins finish Day 2 finals of the Pan Pacific Championships with two gold, three silver and three bronze.

First gold was claimed by sprinter Meg Harris (pictured centre) who – with eyes closed and not taking a breath over the last 15 metres – surged over the top of American champ Gretchen Walsh (pictured left) in the 100m freestyle.

Harris hit the wall in 52.60 seconds, touching the wall 0.18 seconds ahead of Walsh with Dolphin Olivia Wunsch (pictured right) claiming bronze in a personal best time of 52.98.

World champion 50m free star Harris did not celebrate immediately as she turned to look at the times before flashing a huge smile when Wunsch told her the good news.

“My coach said to don’t leave anything in the water, so I put my head down and closed my eyes,” Harris said.

“I didn’t even realise I had won until Liv (Wunsch) told me.”

Australia also took gold in the women’s 4x200m relay with Lani Pallister clocking the fastest leg of the entire race.

The new-look quartet of Inez Miller, Pallister, Hannah Casey and Milla Jansen held off the US – and their talisman Katie Ledecky – to win in a Championship record time of 7:42.40.

Ledecky split 1:54.37 to claim silver for the USA and Canada held off China to take the bronze in 7:52.74.

It was a big day for the Dolphins with in-form medley swimmer Jenna Forrester taking silver in the women’s 400m medley behind Canadian superstar Summer McIntosh.

Newly minted Glasgow gold medallists Sam Williamson claimed bronze in the men’s 100m breaststroke while backstroker Iona Anderson also won bronze – in the women’s 50m backstroke.

However, there was significant disappointment for Isaac Cooper, who – in an open pool and dark night sky – hit the lane rope during the 50m backstroke final.

Just 0.08 separated the Dolphin and USA’s Quintin McCarty, who won gold in 24.51.

Cooper earned the silver medal in 24.59, while American Will Modglin secured bronze in 24.66.

The winning performance lowered the Pan Pacific Championships record by two hundredths. Cooper had established the previous mark of 24.53 during today’s heat session.

In the final race of the evening, the US held off Max Giuliani, Kai Taylor, Charlie Hawke and Sam Short with the Dolphins touching in 7:01.10 – just behind the US on 6:59.37 and just ahead of Japan third (7:02.74).