2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships: Schedule & Predictions

The 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, scheduled for August 18-22, will be held at the William Woollett Aquatic Center in Irvine, CA. The event, which takes place every 4 years, is the third most significant swimming competition behind only the Olympics and Worlds. What really sets this competition apart from other swimming meets is its strong emphasis on team achievement rather than individual glory. Moreover, the four swimming powers (the U.S., Australia, Japan, and Canada) are regular participants of the event, further reinforcing its importance. In this article, I will preview the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships and offer predictions & schedule.

The United States is undoubtedly the most successful nation in competitive swimming. America has dominated every major swimming event it has participated in, including the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. In fact, the U.S. has won 473 total medals and 217 golds at the meet decisively trumping its closest competitor Australia (261 medals and 77 golds). Furthermore, the U.S. is also the event's defending champion having won nearly half of the medals available at the 2006 tournament.

As the Pan Pacific Championships are this year's premier swimming competition, the U.S. is slated to send its strongest team to the event. The squad will be anchored by veteran stars Michael Phelps and Aaron Peirsol. The two stars will travel to the meet hoping to recover lost forms. Phelps has had his share of struggles since his record-setting performance at the Beijing Olympics. At the 2009 World Championships, the American star performed well but his times were well under his personal best.

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Aaron Peirsol has also not been in good form lately. The king of backstroke failed to even make the final of his favorite 100m event at worlds, and missed out on the gold medal again at the 2010 nationals losing to David Plummer. The two stars will have to rediscover their former forms again, if the U.S. were to maintain its dominance at this prestigious swimming meet. On the women's side, the Americans (led by 3-time Olympic medalist Rebecca Soni) are widely expected to dominate most of their events.

Traditionally, Australia has been the strongest challenger to U.S. dominance. However, this year's Australian team is considerably weaker than those of the past due to injuries sustained by key team members and the retirements of notable swimmers. Yet, one should never count out the team from Down Under as the country has always enjoyed a surplus of strong swimmers. The team won't be as talented as in years past, but it remains collectively capable and should present a strong challenge in the women and relay events.

The one country the U.S. should keep an eye on is Japan. The Land of the Rising Sun was a swimming power in the 1940s and 50s, only to be seemingly missing in action for several decades. Japanese swimming has enjoyed a strong resurgence in recent years, with a new crop of talented swimmers waiting to take flight. Japan is expected to strongly contend in the backstroke, breaststroke, and relay events at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. The country's best bets for medals will be multiple-Olympic gold medalist Kosuke Kitajima and the backstroke golden duo of Junya Koga & Ryosuke Irie. Japanese women should contend for medals as well, though winning any gold will be quite a challenge.

My predictions for the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships: the United States dominates; Japan edges Australia for second place on the medal table. The event is set for August 18-22 and will be broadcast by NBC (U.S.) and its sister network Universal Sports. Check local listings for schedule and air times. The event will also be streamed live on the official website of USA Swimming.