{"id":651709,"date":"2026-08-16T18:31:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T01:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=651709"},"modified":"2026-08-16T20:00:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T03:00:29","slug":"ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/","title":{"rendered":"Ian Thorpe Sings The Praises Of The Down Under Wonders After A Golden\u201c Sam Pacs\u201d For The Aussies In Irvine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ian Thorpe Sings The Praises Of The Down Under Wonders After A Golden\u201c Sam Pacs\u201d For The Aussies In Irvine<\/strong><\/p>\n

Australian swimming great Ian Thorpe<\/strong> has given his seal of approval to the Dolphins Class of 26 after Australia\u2019s most successful ever Pan Pacs Meet in Irvine over the weekend \u2013 what we\u2019re now calling, dare I say down under, as \u201cThe Sam Pacs!\u201d<\/p>\n

The now 43-year-old Hall of Famer was poolside to witness the gold caps of Australia wrap up four spectacular days of swimming \u2013 a meet that breathed life back into the Pan Pac concept \u2013 born in 1985 but missing from the international calendar since Tokyo in 2018. And it was fitting for the five-time Olympic champion to witness what is an exciting changing of the guard for the Australian team that stood and delivered against the might and power of their long-time nemesis the USA.<\/p>\n

The Americans may have won the meet with 19 gold, 22 silver and nine bronze for a total of 50 medals but the emerging Australian team\u2019s haul of 15 gold, 11 silver and 9 bronze for a total of 35, suggests the Dolphins are set to make a splash when they return for the big dance in 2028.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t an easy listen for us Aussie fans watching and listening from back home, to the often-biased US coverage, with the voice of US Swimming \u2013 triple Olympic champion and my old mate Rowdy Gaines<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cGod bless him\u201d – the most passionate commentator on the earth – singing the praises of Team USA.<\/p>\n

\"Rowdy

ROWDY GAINES: The Man..The Myth…The Legend..The Voice.<\/p><\/div>\n

I\u2019m sure Ambrose Gaines III<\/strong> would still be waxing lyrical after \u201cthat\u201d record breaking final day with Kate Douglass\u2019<\/strong> mind-blowing 50 free world record of 23.19 spinning around like a Las Vegas slot machine.<\/p>\n

But maybe, just maybe Rowdy would have rolled over in his sleep that night, thinking \u201cthose damn Aussies\u2026they just kept coming\u2026I think maybe we\u2019re in for a tougher time than we thought come \u201928.\u201d<\/p>\n

And we\u2019ve got Thorpey in our corner, who was full of praise for his Australian team, led by distance-slayers Sam Short<\/strong>and Lani Pallister, <\/strong>saying: \u201cIt\u2019s exciting that we have a team that is producing the best results that we\u2019ve ever seen in the pool.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019m excited not only for \u201828 but also what can then happen in 2032. We may have to convince some of the older swimmers (pointing to Short, who will then be 28) to stick around\u2026so they can perform well\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

THE DOWN UNDER WONDERS: Ian Thorpe and Sam Short.Photo Courtesy Swimming Australia.<\/p><\/div>\n

Thorpe was standing next to Sam Short<\/strong>, who had earlier in the meet lowered Thorpey\u2019s colours and on the final night, those of his teammate Grant Hackett,<\/strong> unleashing a spectacular 1500m freestyle and leaving the USA’s dual Olympic champion Bobby Finke<\/strong> in his wake as he had done in winning the 800m on night one in a new Championship record time of 7:37.02 on n ight one.<\/p>\n

Short then clocking 3:40.52 to break Thorpe\u2019s long-standing Pan Pac 400m freestyle record (3:41.83) from 1999, also setting a new US Open record; and on the final night, with his stunning 14:33.97, lowering Hackett\u2019s 2001 Australian record (14:34.56) and his 2002 Pan Pac record (14:41.65) for the 1500m freestyle.<\/p>\n

Thorpe also singing Short\u2019s praises, saying it had not only been a great meet for Sam, it had topped off what has been a great season for the Damien Jones-coached 22-year-old Queenslander, who had won the 400, 800 and 1500m as well as the 800 free relay at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games two weeks earlier.<\/p>\n

\u201cApart from his results it\u2019s been Sam\u2019s consistency that has been the most impressive thing that I\u2019ve seen,\u201d said Thorpe, who was just 16 in 1999, when he broke Kieren Perkins<\/strong> 400m free world record in Sydney.<\/p>\n

\u201cSam broke my Pan Pac record which I didn\u2019t know I (still) had and clearly now I don\u2019t have any more\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

(Short reminding Thorpe that he couldn\u2019t drive when he set that record \u2013 and it had taken him until he was 22 to actually break what was effectively a 16-years National Age record.)<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve obviously been a massive fan of Thorpey\u2019s. Like so many (Aussie) guys growing up in swimming. (So now) hopefully there are young guys watching this from back home and I can inspire them to keep going,\u201d Short said after the final night.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve been training a lot (for) the 400. I was glad I pulled that together, I executed that really well, I think.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut just then (in the 1500) that was just straight guts and just enjoying the race. So I’m pretty proud of that (and inspired earlier in the day watching German Johannes Liebmann<\/strong>\u2019s world mark of 14:26.79 clocked at the Europeans in Paris).<\/p>\n

\u201cI am proud of my consistency. You know, I’ve gone five well (under) sub-15 minute swims now, so if I can do that here, you know, my average come Olympics World Championships, all I need to do is be my average and be contending for some podium places.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here is a look at the comparative times and progressions of Australia\u2019s \u201cBig Four\u201d Kieren Perkins, Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett <\/strong>and Sam Short.<\/strong><\/p>\n

*The only Australian record remaining for Short to take down now is Thorpe\u2019s 400m freestyle mark of 3.40.08 set at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.<\/p>\n

400m Freestyle<\/strong><\/p>\n

3:43.80 Kieren Perkins (Rome, 1994) \u2013 Word Record<\/p>\n

3:41.83 Ian Thorpe (Sydney, 1999) \u2013 Word Record<\/p>\n

*3:40.08 Ian Thorpe (Manchester, 2002) – Word Record\/Australian Record<\/strong><\/p>\n

3:40.52 Sam Short (Irvine, 2026) \u2013 Pan Pac\/US Open Record (5th<\/sup> All-time)<\/p>\n

800m freestyle <\/strong><\/p>\n

7:46.00 Kieren Perkins (Victoria, 1994) World Record (1500m split)<\/p>\n

7:39.16 Ian Thorpe (Fukuoka, 2001) World Record<\/p>\n

7:38.65 Grant Hackett (Montreal, 2005) World Record<\/p>\n

7:36.73 Sam Short (Sydney, 2026) Australian\/Commonwealth Record (3rd<\/sup> All-time)<\/p>\n

7:37.02 Sam Short (Irvine, 2026) Pan Pac Record<\/p>\n

1500m Freestyle <\/strong><\/p>\n

14:41.66 Kieren Perkins (Victoria, 1994) World Record<\/p>\n

14:34.56 Grant Hackett (Fukuoka, 2001) World Record<\/p>\n

14:33.97 Sam Short (Irvine, 2026) Australian\/Commonwealth\/Pan Pac Record (6th<\/sup> All Time)<\/p>\n

MOVE OVER UNCLE SAM; <\/strong>\u00a0With the arrival of 25-year-old late-blooming US breaststroker Van Mathias<\/strong> at the Pan Pacs, in a spectacular international 100m debut in Irvine \u2013 there were some in the US crowd that quickly dubbed the meet \u201cThe Van Pacs.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Aussie wags, led by Australia\u2019s own \u201cTeam Sam\u201d \u2013 50m gold medal breaststroker Sam Williamson<\/strong> and record-breaking freestyler Sam Short <\/strong>\u2013 Irvine may well forever be remembered by the Dolphins as the great \u201cSam Pacs\u201d…..sleep tight Rowdy…for now!<\/p>\n

\"\"

UP FROM DOWN UNDER TO WIN: Australian Swim coach Laurie Lawrence displaying his “Up From Down Under To Win” Shirt” from the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. Photo Russ McPhedran (Hanson Media Collection).<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ian Thorpe Sings The Praises Of The Down Under Wonders After A Golden\u201c Sam Pacs\u201d For The Aussies In Irvine Australian swimming great Ian Thorpe has given his seal of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7938,"featured_media":648364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,122075,10],"tags":[2468,2458,136002,52,14590,3455,125410],"class_list":["post-651709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-oceania","category-world","tag-grant-hackett","tag-ian-thorpe","tag-johannes-liebmann","tag-kieren-perkins","tag-laurie-lawrence","tag-rowdy-gaines","tag-sam-short"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nIan Thorpe Sings The Praises Of The Down Under Wonders After A Golden\u201c Sam Pacs\u201d For The Aussies In Irvine - Swimming World<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ian Thorpe Sings The Praises Of The Down Under Wonders After A Golden\u201c Sam Pacs\u201d For The Aussies In Irvine\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ian Thorpe Sings The Praises Of The Down Under Wonders After A Golden\u201c Sam Pacs\u201d For The Aussies In Irvine Australian swimming great Ian Thorpe has given his seal of\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Swimming World\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-17T01:31:16+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-17T03:00:29+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GLAS26-M400fr-Sam-Short-5-Photo-Courtesy-Wade-Brennan-Photos-scaled.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1706\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@swimmingworld\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@swimmingworld\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8440dfbfa2c11516d012d826615532e6\"},\"headline\":\"Ian Thorpe Sings The Praises Of The Down Under Wonders After A Golden\u201c Sam Pacs\u201d For The Aussies In Irvine\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-17T01:31:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-17T03:00:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/\"},\"wordCount\":1133,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GLAS26-M400fr-Sam-Short-5-Photo-Courtesy-Wade-Brennan-Photos-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Grant Hackett\",\"Ian Thorpe\",\"Johannes Liebmann\",\"Kieren Perkins\",\"Laurie Lawrence\",\"Rowdy Gaines\",\"Sam Short\"],\"articleSection\":[\"-Home Slider\",\"Oceania\",\"World\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/\",\"name\":\"Ian Thorpe Sings The Praises Of The Down Under Wonders After A Golden\u201c Sam Pacs\u201d For The Aussies In Irvine - Swimming World\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GLAS26-M400fr-Sam-Short-5-Photo-Courtesy-Wade-Brennan-Photos-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-17T01:31:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-17T03:00:29+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GLAS26-M400fr-Sam-Short-5-Photo-Courtesy-Wade-Brennan-Photos-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GLAS26-M400fr-Sam-Short-5-Photo-Courtesy-Wade-Brennan-Photos-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1706,\"caption\":\"GLAS26 M400fr Sam Short 5 Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan Photos\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Ian Thorpe Sings The Praises Of The Down Under Wonders After A Golden\u201c Sam Pacs\u201d For The Aussies In Irvine\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Swimming World\",\"description\":\"The Global Leader in Aquatic News\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Swimming World\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg\",\"width\":1799,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"Swimming World\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/swimmingworld\",\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/swimmingworldmag\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SwimmingWorldSPI\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8440dfbfa2c11516d012d826615532e6\",\"name\":\"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/user-7938-100x100.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/user-7938-100x100.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent\"},\"description\":\"Ian is a former News Ltd. Australia Olympic and Swimming correspondent through the 1970s and 80s, who became the first Swimming Australia Media Manager in 1991 and spent the next three decades working with coaches Don Talbot, Leigh Nugent, Alan Thompson and Jacco Verhaeren on the Australian Dolphins Swim Teams. Has attended every Olympic Games since his debut in LA in 1984 and Tokyo 2020 will be Ian's 10th Olympics. Awarded an OAM in 2019 for his services to Australian sport and the media. Father of 2004 Olympic swimming gold and silver medallist Brooke Hanson.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/author\/ianhanson\/\"}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ian Thorpe Sings The Praises Of The Down Under Wonders After A Golden\u201c Sam Pacs\u201d For The Aussies In Irvine - Swimming World","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ian Thorpe Sings The Praises Of The Down Under Wonders After A Golden\u201c Sam Pacs\u201d For The Aussies In Irvine","og_description":"Ian Thorpe Sings The Praises Of The Down Under Wonders After A Golden\u201c Sam Pacs\u201d For The Aussies In Irvine Australian swimming great Ian Thorpe has given his seal of","og_url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/","og_site_name":"Swimming World","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld","article_published_time":"2026-08-17T01:31:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-17T03:00:29+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1706,"url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GLAS26-M400fr-Sam-Short-5-Photo-Courtesy-Wade-Brennan-Photos-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@swimmingworld","twitter_site":"@swimmingworld","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/"},"author":{"name":"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8440dfbfa2c11516d012d826615532e6"},"headline":"Ian Thorpe Sings The Praises Of The Down Under Wonders After A Golden\u201c Sam Pacs\u201d For The Aussies In Irvine","datePublished":"2026-08-17T01:31:16+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-17T03:00:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/"},"wordCount":1133,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GLAS26-M400fr-Sam-Short-5-Photo-Courtesy-Wade-Brennan-Photos-scaled.jpg","keywords":["Grant Hackett","Ian Thorpe","Johannes Liebmann","Kieren Perkins","Laurie Lawrence","Rowdy Gaines","Sam Short"],"articleSection":["-Home Slider","Oceania","World"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/","name":"Ian Thorpe Sings The Praises Of The Down Under Wonders After A Golden\u201c Sam Pacs\u201d For The Aussies In Irvine - Swimming World","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GLAS26-M400fr-Sam-Short-5-Photo-Courtesy-Wade-Brennan-Photos-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-08-17T01:31:16+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-17T03:00:29+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GLAS26-M400fr-Sam-Short-5-Photo-Courtesy-Wade-Brennan-Photos-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GLAS26-M400fr-Sam-Short-5-Photo-Courtesy-Wade-Brennan-Photos-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1706,"caption":"GLAS26 M400fr Sam Short 5 Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan Photos"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ian-thorpe-sings-the-praises-of-the-down-under-wonders-after-a-golden-sam-pacs-for-the-aussies-in-irvine\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ian Thorpe Sings The Praises Of The Down Under Wonders After A Golden\u201c Sam Pacs\u201d For The Aussies In Irvine"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/","name":"Swimming World","description":"The Global Leader in Aquatic News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#organization","name":"Swimming World","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/SWorld_BLKBKG-1.jpg","width":1799,"height":900,"caption":"Swimming World"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SwimmingWorld","https:\/\/x.com\/swimmingworld","https:\/\/instagram.com\/swimmingworldmag\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SwimmingWorldSPI"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8440dfbfa2c11516d012d826615532e6","name":"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/user-7938-100x100.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/user-7938-100x100.jpg","caption":"Ian Hanson - Oceania Correspondent"},"description":"Ian is a former News Ltd. Australia Olympic and Swimming correspondent through the 1970s and 80s, who became the first Swimming Australia Media Manager in 1991 and spent the next three decades working with coaches Don Talbot, Leigh Nugent, Alan Thompson and Jacco Verhaeren on the Australian Dolphins Swim Teams. Has attended every Olympic Games since his debut in LA in 1984 and Tokyo 2020 will be Ian's 10th Olympics. Awarded an OAM in 2019 for his services to Australian sport and the media. Father of 2004 Olympic swimming gold and silver medallist Brooke Hanson.","url":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/author\/ianhanson\/"}]}},"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":"GRAND SAM: Sam Short in for the long haul towards LA28. Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan Photos.","source_text":"","source_url":""},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GLAS26-M400fr-Sam-Short-5-Photo-Courtesy-Wade-Brennan-Photos-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p56Jja-2Jxr","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7938"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=651709"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651709\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":651725,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651709\/revisions\/651725"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/648364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=651709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=651709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=651709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}