The 2026 Junior Pan Pacific Championships are underway in Vancouver, Canada, with preliminary heats across four events for both genders. The girls' 400 IM saw Audrey Derivaux take the top spot with a time of 4:44.40, followed by Sydney Hardy in 4:44.83 and Sadie Buckley in 4:46.20. Derivaux, who set a best time of 4:37.27 in May, held off Hardy, who set a personal best of 4:42.12 at U.S. Nationals. Australian Amelie Smith and Japanese Shuna Sasaki also qualified for the final, with times of 4:45.50 and 4:45.80, respectively. The boys' 400 IM was dominated by Japan's Raito Numata, who clocked a time of 4:14.76 to secure his spot in the 'A' final. Numata, the reigning World Junior champion, set a best time of 4:10.29 earlier this year and is favored to break the meet record of 4:12.59 set by Chase Kalisz in 2012. Ayumu Negishi and Tatsuya Makiuchi, both from Japan, finished 1-2 in their heat, with times of 4:17.59 and 4:18.72, respectively. The girls' 100 free was a close contest, with Australia's Jodie Mead leading the field with a time of 55.39, dropping three-tenths off her personal best. The battle for the two American spots in the 'A' final was fierce, with Aria Grossenbach and Abi Burke winning the first two circle-seeded heats. The boys' 100 free saw Luka Mijatovic, fresh off a massive victory in the 800 free, face tough competition from fellow Americans Mike Rice and Jordan Ragland, who are also seeded atop the psych sheets. The girls' 100 breast and boys' 100 breast will be contested at Junior Pan Pacs for the first time, with Japan's Mana Ishikawa and Yusei Imaizu leading the field, respectively. The girls' 50 back and boys' 50 back will also be exciting events, with Australia's Gabi Brito and Alyssa Sagle, and Japan's Toya Hirata, leading the field, respectively. The competition is intense, and the results will be closely watched as the tournament progresses.
