Heat wave in California as decorated Dolphins line up beside 6 rookies

AN EXTREME heat warning remains in effect in Walnut, California and we are not talking about the thermometer hitting 100 Fahrenheit as a tapered red-hot Dolphins team look set to sizzle at the Para Pan Pacific Championships from August 28-30.

The Para Pan Pacs take place at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut and the meet will feature some of the top Para swimmers in the world, including the USA’s Ali Truwit, Canada’s Aurelie Rivard and Dolphins Tim Hodge, Lucky Patterson, Callum Simpson and burgeoning rookie Victoria Belando Nicholson.

For the Dolphins, the three-day meet – in an open-air pool and which has attracted 10 nations and 170 athletes – is a survey marker on the road trip to LA28.

The meet will use a heats-to-finals format, with the top-eight swimmers – based on World Para Swimming (WPS) points – advancing to the final with a maximum of three swimmers per country eligible for the A final.

As a multi-class event that combines categories – points will determine the winner, not who touches the wall first.

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.

What you need to know:

WORLD-CLASS FIELD: Para Pan Pacs feature the strongest swimming nations of Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States, along with additional invited nations. It is a championship-calibre international competition midway through the Paralympic cycle and key benchmark on the international calendar.

VETERAN CORE: BRENDEN HALL, TIM HODGE, LAKEISHA PATTERSON:

Few athletes enter the 2026 Para Pan Pacific Championships with a résumé as accomplished as the Dolphins big three. All have established themselves on the international stage winning multiple Paralympic, world and international titles while setting multiple world and Paralympic records. Hodge and Patterson are also fresh off PBs and gold medals from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

ROOKIES READY: Six debutants hit the water for the Dolphins this week. Montana Atkinson (#P337), Stephanie Bruzzese (#P338), Riley Moore (#P339), Darren Sisman (#P340), Amelie Springett-Kelly (#P341) and Kael Thompson (#P342) received their gold cap earlier this week in a clarion call of Paralympic proportions. These six are not just part of the Dolphins’ LA Story but of Brisbane’s 2032 Games homecoming.

SPRINT KINGS: Get the broom out. The Dolphins have the opportunity for a clean sweep in the men’s 100m free with Paralympic medallists Tom Gallagher, Rowan Crothers, Callum Simpson and Alex Tuckfield lining up on the blocks. During staging camp, the four suited up and went head-to-head in a teaser to what will be one of the races of the meet. Canada’s Fernando Lu lurks as a possible gate crasher.

SPRINT QUEENS: Like the men’s 100, the women’s two-lap dash is also a rare opportunity for the different classifications to race each other, and the Dolphins’ headline acts feature Patterson, Belando Nicholson, Chloe Osborn, Jenna Jones, Emily Beecroft and Jasmine Greenwood. The women’s 100m will also create plenty of interest with USA’s Truwit continuing her rise through the ranks less than three years after surviving a shark attack.

Heats: 9.30am Local time / 2.30am next day AEST

Finals: 5.30pm local time / 10.30am next day AEST

Stream the Para Pan Pacs action live here