Heavily Depleted Australian Squad Will Need Rise-to-the-Occasion Efforts at Pan Pacific Championships
Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? The silence during roll call for the Australian squad at the Pan Pacific Championships will be overwhelming. As sharp as the Dolphins were at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games, they will be significantly underarmed at Pan Pacs. For various reasons, Australia will be missing several of its top athletes – some of the absences expected, and others announced at a later date.
When Australia selected its teams for the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacs, Olympic champions Kyle Chalmers and Cam McEvoy were immediately known to only opt for Commonwealths. The veterans decided to place their emphasis on the competition in Glasgow, then shift focus to a more pressing matter – family. Chalmers and McEvoy have infants at home and being home is a priority over visiting Southern California.
Meanwhile, Flynn Southam and Shayna Jack also chose to bypass Pan Pacs. Southam is skipping the meet after a sensational showing at Commonwealths, where he was a relay stalwart and captured gold in the 100-meter freestyle. As for Jack, now in the early days of retirement, she saw the Commonwealth Games as the perfect way to conclude her career. Indeed, Jack went out on a high, collecting four medals – two relay and two individual – inside the Tollcross International Swimming Centre.
Rising teenage backstroke star Henry Allan will also skip the meet in the United States, likely leaving Isaac Cooper to handle leadoff duty in the medley relay.
Injuries and illness have also factored into the depleted Australian roster. Shortly before the Commonwealth Games, multi-time Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown announced he would miss the entire summer campaign while dealing with the effects of glandular fever. And just after Commonwealths, Mollie O’Callaghan, who battled through a back injury to win five medals in Glasgow, announced her ailment would keep her from racing at Pan Pacs.
“As much as I love competing, training, and being around this team, I’ve had to make the decision that’s best for me,” O’Callaghan said of her decision. “After every race, I re-evaluated, adapted where I could, and did everything possible to keep moving forward. And I’m still so proud of what I was able to achieve while managing this injury.”
Between Chalmers, McEvoy, McKeown and O’Callaghan, Australia will be without four athletes who have won a combined 30 medals in Olympic competition. Who will rise to the occasion and help offset these absences. Opportunity awaits.