Katharine Berkoff solidified her position as America’s top backstroker at the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California, capturing her second gold medal in as many days. The 25-year-old clocked 26.90 seconds in the 50-meter backstroke on Thursday, lowering her own American record by seven hundredths of a second. Her performance ranks as the fourth-fastest time ever recorded globally in the event.
Berkoff’s impressive showing continued a remarkable ascent in the sport after challenging established competitors like world record holder Regan Smith and Australian Kaylee McKeown for years. She earned her first world title in the 50-meter backstroke last July and has now doubled down with back-to-back victories at the Pan Pacs. The 50-meter variations of backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly will debut as Olympic events at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Berkoff was not alone in delivering stellar performances at the championships. Van Mathias captured his second consecutive title by winning the men’s 100-meter breaststroke in 58.02 seconds, narrowly missing his own American record. The 25-year-old’s resurgence proved particularly noteworthy, as he is competing in his first major senior international championship after stepping away from swimming for two years following his college career at Indiana.
Additional American standouts included McKenzie Siroky, who won the women’s 100-meter breaststroke in 1:05.32, and Jack Alexy, who claimed gold in the men’s 100-meter freestyle with a championship record of 47.14 seconds. The championships continue through the weekend with preliminary heats and finals streaming on Peacock and NBCSN.
Originally reported by Sports.yahoo →
About the Author
