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2026 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS - August 12-15, 2026 - Irvine, California - William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center - LCM (50 meters) - Meet Central - Psych Sheets - Live Results - Live Stream (USA Swimming YouTube) - Recaps In any other universe, Sam Short breaking an Australian Record set 25 years ago would be the distance headline of the day. While it was only the second-best 1500 free we saw globally on Saturday, it is still a swim that will resonate around Australia. Short swam 14:33.97, which broke the old National Record of 14:34.56 set by legend Grant Hackett at the 2001 World Championships. That Hackett record is one of significance. When he set it, Hackett knocked seven seconds off the World Record, and it stood for a decade. Short’s swim also broke Hackett’s Pan Pacs Record of 14:41.65 from the 2002 edition of the meet. That was the oldest Pan Pacs Record still on the books. The new oldest Pan Pacs record is Jessicah Schipper of Australia in the 200 fly, who went 2:05.40 in 2006. This was a back half paced swim for Short, which is demonstrated by three separate splits tables below. Short Vs. Hackett, Australian Record Split Comparison | | Sam Short | Grand Hackett | | | | New Australian Record | Old Australian Record | Difference | | 100m | 55.13 | 54.19 | 0.94 | | 200m | 58.47 | 58.26 | 0.21 | | 300m | 58.84 | 58.84 | 0.00 | | 400m | 58.75 | 58.89 | -0.14 | | 500m | 58.93 | 58.64 | 0.29 | | 600m | 58.71 | 58.63 | 0.08 | | 700m | 58.65 | 58.51 | 0.14 | | 800m | 58.83 | 58.51 | 0.32 | | 900m | 58.59 | 58.58 | 0.01 | | 1000m | 58.60 | 58.73 | -0.13 | | 1100m | 58.72 | 58.78 | -0.06 | | 1200m | 58.47 | 58.95 | -0.48 | | 1300m | 58.37 | 59.00 | -0.63 | | 1400m | 58.58 | 59.38 | -0.80 | | 1500m | 56.33 | 56.67 | -0.34 | | Total Time | 14:33.97 | 14:34.56 | -0.59 | Short Vs. Short, Personal Best Record Split Comparison | | Sam Short | Sam Short | | | | New Australian Record | Previous PB | | | 100m | 55.13 | 55.12 | 0.01 | | 200m | 58.47 | 57.82 | 0.65 | | 300m | 58.84 | 58.32 | 0.52 | | 400m | 58.75 | 58.51 | 0.24 | | 500m | 58.93 | 58.69 | 0.24 | | 600m | 58.71 | 58.75 | -0.04 | | 700m | 58.65 | 59.07 | -0.42 | | 800m | 58.83 | 58.84 | -0.01 | | 900m | 58.59 | 58.97 | -0.38 | | 1000m | 58.60 | 59.29 | -0.69 | | 1100m | 58.72 | 59.05 | -0.33 | | 1200m | 58.47 | 59.07 | -0.60 | | 1300m | 58.37 | 59.38 | -1.01 | | 1400m | 58.58 | 59.13 | -0.55 | | 1500m | 56.33 | 57.27 | -0.94 | | Total Time | 14:33.97 | 14:37.28 | -3.31 | Short Vs. Johannes Liebmann, World Record Split Comparison | | Sam Short | Johann Liebmann | | | | New Australian Record | New World Record | | | 100m | 55.13 | 54.89 | 0.24 | | 200m | 58.47 | 57.54 | 0.93 | | 300m | 58.84 | 58.06 | 0.78 | | 400m | 58.75 | 57.89 | 0.86 | | 500m | 58.93 | 57.87 | 1.06 | | 600m | 58.71 | 58.26 | 0.45 | | 700m | 58.65 | 58.01 | 0.64 | | 800m | 58.83 | 58.33 | 0.50 | | 900m | 58.59 | 58.24 | 0.35 | | 1000m | 58.60 | 58.25 | 0.35 | | 1100m | 58.72 | 58.35 | 0.37 | | 1200m | 58.47 | 58.29 | 0.18 | | 1300m | 58.37 | 58.35 | 0.02 | | 1400m | 58.58 | 58.28 | 0.30 | | 1500m | 56.33 | 56.18 | 0.15 | | Total Time | 14:33.97 | 14:26.79 | 7.18 | They all paint a clear picture of Short swimming a race that is a ‘coach’s dream,’ with consistent even splitting and no fade at the end of the race. If anything, he found another gear over the last 400 meters, and almost even-split the race. In his post-race interview, he alluded to having work to do in order to catch up to the Germans. The newly-minted World Record holder Johannes Liebmann was faster than Short on every single split, including opening in a mind-bending 7:40 over the first 800 meters, which in itself would put him in the top 18 performers all-time in that event. And while the opening was clearly the strength of Liebmann’s swim, he didn’t really suffer too much on the back-half for it. That’s going to be hard for anyone to match anytime soon, especially with Liebmann being only 19. Still, the swim capped off the best meet of Short’s career so far, and with a dominant win over the two-time defending Olympic Champion in the event Bobby Finke (14:44.26 for bronze) and the new Japanese Record holder Kazushi Imafuku (14:42.59), it will still be a big confidence boost for Short ahead of two years of work leading into LA28. All-Time Top 11, Men’s 1500 LCM Freestyle - Johannes Liebmann, Germany – 14:26.79 (2026) - Bobby Finke, USA – 14:30.67 (2024) - Sun Yang, China – 14:31.02 (2012) - Ahmed Hafnaoui, Tunisia – 14:31.54 (2023) - Gregorio Paltrinieri, Italy – 14:32.80 (2022) - Sam Short, Australia – 14:33.97 (2026) - Daniel Wiffen, Ireland – 14:34.07 (2024) - Ahmed Jaouadi, Tunisia – 14:34.41 (2025) - Grant Hackett, Australia – 14:34.56 (2001) - Florian Wellbrock, Germany – 14:34.89 (2023) - Sven Schwarz, Germany – 14:35.69 (2025) For his part, Imafuku, who is also only 19, smashed the former Japanese Record. The old mark of 14:45.57 was set by Kaito Tabuchi at the 2026 Japanese Championships in March, and Imafuku blasted through that with a 14:42.59 by almost three seconds. Imafuku’s previous personal best was a 14:50.18 from the 2025 Japanese Championships, which at the time was also a National Record. He swam 14:52.45 at the Japan Swim earlier this year. Tabuchi, the former record holder, finished 5th on Saturday in 14:57.02.