The 2002 Pan Pacific Championships have been taking place over the past week in Yokohama, Japan and finish today (29th August). The star of the meet has once again been Ian Thorpe who has collected 5 golds to date, winning the 100, 200 and 400 free and also being part of the victorious Australian 4×100 and 4x200m relay teams.

If as seems likely the Aussie win the 4x100m medley relay, Thorpe will have secured 6 golds at his third success vie Major championship. The anticipated team of Welsh, Piper, Heugill and Thorpe will be hard pushed by a American team likely to be Peirsol, Moses, Crocker and Dusing or Lezak.

The American’s have dominated the meet as might have been expected, winngin 16 of the 27 gold medals available so far to Australia’s. The highlight of their performance have ben a return to winning ways for Jenny Thompson, back in action after only 9 weeks of training since the Sydney Olympics and a great one-two in the men’s 200 fly for world record holder Michael Phelps and Olympic Champion To Malchow, who eventually pipped his compatriot.

The best way to keep up to date with results seems to be the Australian swimming website as the official website doesn’t always carry the results in English