Pan Pacific Championships: Yumeki Kojima Wins Men’s 200 Backstroke; Canada Takes Two Medals
Japan’s Yumeki Kojima powered away from a competitive field to win the men’s 200-meter backstroke Friday night at the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships. Kojima touched in 1:55.38 at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center, finishing ahead of Canadians Blake Tierney and Ethan Ekk.
Tierney, already the Pan Pacific champion in the 100 backstroke, took the early lead and reached the 100-meter mark in 56.47. Kojima remained within striking distance alongside Tierney and American Keaton Jones before making his move during the second half of the race.
Kojima surged into the lead and steadily pulled away, maintaining his technique and tempo through the final meters. He reached the wall nearly a second ahead of Tierney to secure Japan’s victory.
“I was happy with winning, but when I saw the times, I wasn’t too happy with it, because I was looking for a 1:54,” said Kojima, the world junior record holder in the 400 individual medley. “But this is my first time at senior championships, and then getting here and then winning the championship is definitely a big meaning for my swimming and my career.”
Tierney earned the silver medal in 1:56.29, while Ekk completed a two-medal performance for Canada by taking bronze in 1:56.85.
“It’s a long time coming,” Ekk said of his medal. “I put a lot of work in the summer. And it’s really paid off. Obviously it’s on the move. We’ve got two people on the podium now, so I’m very excited about that. A couple of years ago, I don’t think we had anybody breaking 1:56. And now we have a guy going 1:55.0. Shoutout to Blake for all his hard work paying off. So really happy for him.”
Kojima entered the final as the second-fastest qualifier after swimming 1:55.74 in the morning preliminaries. Jones claimed the top seed in 1:55.24 but finished outside the medals in the championship final. Kojima was also in yesterday’s 400 IM swimoff to determine which swimmer representing Japan would swim in A Finals. Kojima realized he was beaten partway through his swim, saving himself for races like this outstanding Pan Pacific gold medal win.
“That was the first time I did (the 400 IM) three times, and that was hard,” Kojima said. “But I definitely changed my mind and was ready for it, and I did it. I was able to control myself, so I was happy with it.”
This story will be updated with complete results and athlete reaction.
