Twenty-one Queenslanders will form the nucleus of an experienced 40-strong Australian Swim at this year’s 2024 Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Canberra in August.
Team includes 11 swimmers from last year’s successful World Junior Championship campaign including Queensland gold medallists Jaclyn Barclay and Amelia Weber (St Peters Western, QLD), Milla Jansen and Hannah Casey (Bond, QLD), and Hayley McKinder (Griffith University, QLD).
A team made up of 20 men and 20 women that includes a record nine swimmers from WA, seven from NSW and three from Victoria.
Barclay, the World Junior champion in the 100m backstroke also tasted success at this year’s World Aquatics Championships in Doha, winning silver in the 200m backstroke and is also one of six survivors from the 2022 Junior Pan Pacs in Hawaii along with Jansen, Casey, Weber, Marcus Da Silva (Cranbrook, NSW) and Ike Martinez (Rackley, QLD) who were also in Israel.
Jansen has been an individual stand-out, also winning individual silver in the 100m freestyle in Israel and was a dominant force at the at the last Junior Pan Pacs – where she won the 50m freestyle gold as well as silvers in the 100m freestyle, 4x100m and 4x200m free and bronze in the medley relays.
There are also six swimmers who dominated the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinbago last year, including WA’s Inez Miller (Fenix, WA) – the winner of seven medals – four of them gold.
Rising regional breaststroke star, 15-year-old Sienna Toohey (Albury, NSW) is one of many bright new talents on a Junior Dolphins team that finished third at the 2022 Junior Pan Pacs that saw the USA come out on top with 46 medals (19 gold, 14 silver and 13 bronze) ahead of Japan 29 (8-11-10) with Australia third on 25 (8-11-6).
Australian Team lead and Swimming Australia’s General Manager Pathways, Gary Barclay said: “Competing nations will send full-strength teams, so this meet is a good measure on how our pathways and our athletes are heading ahead of LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032.”
First held in Hawaii in 2005, the Junior Pan Pacs has only been hosted by the US (in Hawaii), Guam and Fiji with the Championships being held in Australia for the first time.
2024 Junior Pan Pacific Championships, Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, August 21-24, 2024
The Junior Dolphins Australian Swim Team
Female Athletes
Zoe Ammundsen (Churchie, QLD; Coach: Richard Sleight)
Jaclyn Barclay (St Peters Western, QLD/Dean Boxall)
Mikayla Bird (Bond, QLD/ Chris Mooney)
Hannah Casey (Bond, QLD/ Chris Mooney)
Jessica Cole (Wests Illawarra, NSW/ Pat Stellino)
Sylvia Czajko (UWA West Coast, WA/ Rob Palfery)
Giselle Davey (Caulfield, VIC/ Kenrick Monk)
Elloise Doolan (Somerville House, QLD/ Sarah Caithness)
Ava Gaske (Chandler, QLD/ Tyoshi Kimura)
Milla Jansen (Bond, QLD/ Chris Mooney)
Hayley MacKinder (Griffith, QLD/Tom Fraser-Holmes)
Lillie McPherson (Manly, NSW/Justin Rothwell)
Inez Miller (Fenix, WA/ Ben Higson)
Olympia Pope (Miami, QLD/ Paul Crosswell)
Julia Remington (All Saints, QLD/ Ken Sabotic)
Isabel Sheldrick (Fenix, WA/ Deb Jones)
Amelie Smith (Rocky City, QLD/ Shane Kingston)
Poppy Stephen (Nudgee, QLD/ Shaun Crow)
Sienna Toohey (Albury, NSW/ Wayne Gould)
Amelia Weber (St Peters Western, QLD/ Cam Gledhill)
Male Athletes
Sean Alcorn (St Hilda’s, WA/ Zoe Baker)
Jackson Anderson (Highlanders, WA/ Ryan Steenkamp)
Thomas Booth (Southside Aquatics, QLD/ Lachlan Staples)
Xavier Collins (Westside Christ Church, WA/ Jon Harrison)
Josh Conias (Somerville House, QLD/ Tim Lane)
Tex Cross (Highlanders, WA/ Ryan Steenkamp)
Marcus Da Silva (Cranbrook, NSW/ Bec Wheatley)
Lucas Fackerell (Breakers, WA/ Harry Clarke)
Joel Fleming (Forster, NSW/ Peter Sanders)
Braden Fyneman (UWA West Coast, WA/ Rob Palfrey)
Sam Higgs (Warringah, NSW/Angelo Basalo)
Josh Kerr (Manly NSW, Justin Rothwell)
Ike Martinez (Rackley, QLD/ Damien Jones)
Blair McKitrick (Nudgee, QLD/ Shaun Crow)
Joshua Moore (USC Spartans, QLD/ Michael Sage)
Jack Morrow (St Andrews, QLD/ Ash Delaney)
Jacob Nimmo (Caulfield, VIC’/ Kenrick Monk)
Thomas Pattinson (Churchie, QLD/ Richard Sleight)
William Shepherd-Smith (Churchie, QLD/ Richard Sleight)
Nicholas Stoupas (Caulfield, VIC/ Kenrick Monk)
Coaches:
Sarah Caithness (Somerville House, QLD)
Shaun Crow (Nudgee, QLD)
Cam Gledhill (St Peters Western, QLD)
Wayne Gould (Albury, NSW)
Kenrick Monk (Caulfield, VIC)
Rob Palfery (UWA West Coast, WA)
Justin Rothwell (Manly, NSW)
Richard Sleight (Churchie, QLD)
Ryan Steenkamp (Highlanders WA)
Bec Wheatley (Cranbrook, NSW)
Support Staff:
Gary Barclay (General Manager Performance Pathways)
Hayley Van Den Boom (Team Manager)
Lachlan Mitchell (Physiologist)
Elise Bereza (Sport Psychologist)
Jason Bartram (Physiologist)
Emily Nicol (Bio Mechanist)
Gabby Harth (Bio Mechanist)
Jemma Bassi (Strength and Conditioning)
Andrew Cameron (Physiotherapist)
Kara Roffey (Physiotherapist)
Jack Cookson (Doctor)
Written by Ian Hanson OAM
Photo Credit: Wade Brennan
