VANCOUVER\u2014For swimmers like Marlee Winser and Simon Fonseca Florez, the 2026 Junior Pan Pacific Championships is another important step on their competitive journey.<\/p>\n
Winser (KISU) and Fonseca Florez (HPC Ontario) both see the four-day event, beginning August 17 at the University of British Columbia Aquatic Centre, as a way to test their talent and learn what they need to improve.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a really amazing opportunity to race some of the top juniors in the world,\u201d said the 17-year-old Winser of Penticton, B.C, who is coached by Tina Hoeben.<\/p>\n
\u201cImproving times, improving how I feel in the pool, just having a good attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fonseca Florez is looking to make a splash in his second appearance at a Junior Pacific Championships.<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely have more experience,\u201d said the 18-year-old from Montreal who previously trained at CAMO and is now coached by Ryan Mallette and Rob Novak. \u201cThis is my last junior meet, so definitely it\u2019s special to me. I\u2019m really excited for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both freestyle swimmers have their sights set at competing at the 2028 Olympic Summer Games in Los Angeles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI look forward to making the Olympic team one day,\u201d said Fonseca Florez. \u201cHopefully in 2028, if not, 2032.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Junior Pan Pacs have attracted nearly 300 swimmers, born between 2008 and 2013, from 19 countries. It will be the 11th\u00a0edition of the competition and the first time it has been held in Canada.<\/p>\n
Among the nations attending are the United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Argentia and Brazil.<\/p>\n
For many athletes on Canada\u2019s 40-member team, it will be their first taste of international competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the most part they\u2019re rookies, but they are strong and they have come together way faster than we expected,\u201d said men\u2019s head coach Don Burton.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think a few people from this team will be on the (Olympic) team two years from now and then a bigger percentage of them would be on the team four years from now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tina Hoeben, who is leading women\u2019s head coaching responsibilities, believes swimmers will benefit from the training and experience of competing at the meet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe team has got a lot of depth, and I think that some of those younger swimmers, and even the older swimmers, getting this international experience under their belt will prove very valuable in the years to come,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The coaches assembled for the meet also benefit from working together.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really appreciate the exchange that happens between the coaches and seeing their ideas being acted out,\u201d said Hoeben, head coach of the KISU Swim Club in Penticton. \u201cSome of the conversations are very inspiring to be more creative and think outside of the box.\u201d<\/p>\n
Team Leader Ken McKinnon said the Junior Pan Pacs have evolved from a training meet, originally held in January, to a high-calibre competition hosted in the summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a friendlier get together but it\u2019s a lights-out competition,\u201d said McKinnon, Swimming Canada\u2019s National Development Coach. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely one of the fastest junior meets in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
The list of Canadian swimmers who won Junior Pan Pac medals then progressed onto Olympic or World Championship teams include Margaret Mac Neil, Ella Cosgrove, Oliver Dawson and Cole Pratt.<\/p>\n
Canada won a best-ever 16 medals (two gold, six silver and eight bronze) at the 2024 Junior Pan Pacs in Canberra, Australia.<\/p>\n
McKinnon said while reaching the podium is always a goal, one of the major yardsticks for success at the meet will be swimmers learning what it takes to race against an international field and improving their times.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe expect really strong personal improvement,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s the focus of the team completely and wholly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal is improving. Improve your rank, improve your time, get some experience, move forward in your career.\u201d<\/p>\n
WHERE TO WATCH:<\/p>\n
CBC Gem will supply daily coverage of the 2026 Junior Pan Pacific Championships from August 17-20. Preliminary sessions will be available starting at 9 a.m. PDT with final sessions at 5 p.m. PDT.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Full coverage can also be found across Swimming Canada and CBC Sports digital platforms.<\/p>\n