Six Paralympic Gold Medallists To Spearhead A Full Strength Australian Team to 2026 Para Pan Pacs
Australia will send a full-strength team of 37 swimmers to this year’s Para Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Walnut, California in August – including six Paralympic champions with a total of 15 Paralympic Games gold medals between them.
The super six – Benjamin Hance (St Andrews, QLD), Lakeisha Patterson and Brenden Hall (USC Spartans), Callum Simpson (Flinders Phoenix, QLD), Tom Gallagher (St Peters Western, QLD), Rowan Crothers (Marion, SA) and Timothy Hodge (Blacktown, NSW) were amongst the stars of the show.
Hance claiming two Virtus world records for swimmers with an intellectual impairment, in the men’[s 50m backstroke and 50m freestyle as he switched his racing program between the Open and Multi-Class events in very impressive performances.
I’M THE MAN: Virtus World Record holder Ben Hance ready to fire up in California. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
In Australia the Para stars share the same stage and the limelight with their fellow able-body Olympians on prime-time television; with major National coverage on the country’s Wide World of Sport platform on the Channel 9 free-to-air network.
The two youngest members of the team are NSW pair Beau Matthews (Aquablitz Toongabbie) and Liam Togher (Knox Pymble) both 17, who will make their Dolphins debut in Glasgow before heading to Walnut, California.
While North Queensland’s Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson (Cairns Central) is the oldest member of the Para Pan Pacific team at 37, followed by his close friend and competitor Ahmed Kelly, 34.
Hall, at 33, banked on his decade-long experience to clinch another Dolphins’ berth. The 33-year-old and father of two was pushed by fellow Queenslander 23-year-old Harrison Vig (Uni of QLD), in a thrilling men’s 400m freestyle multi-class final that saw Hall get the touch over Vig by 0.28 of a second.
ON THE MOVE: Madeline McTernan one off the real success stories of the the Trials Meet in Sydney Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
A resurgent Griffith Uni pair Maddie McTernan and Keira Stephens made their first Dolphins team since the Paris Paralympics.
Both moved to train at Griffith University this year, McTernan under Rick Pendleton and Stephens under Mel Marshall. On the final day McTernan broke her own S14 women’s 100m freestyle Australian record.
While 18-year-old Rookie Montana Atkinson (USC Spartans, QLD) delivered a gold-medal winning reaction to her qualifying time in the women’s 100m butterfly multi-class which saw fellow S14 athlete from USC Spartans Kael Thompson also secure her first Dolphins cap.
All up, six Dolphins will make their debut at Para Pan Pacs in the team of 37.
BACK TO HER BEST: Paralymic silver medallist Keira Stephens is back with a vengeance. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Australia’s Paralympic program Head Coach, Mel Tantrum, says the aim for every swimmer is to go quicker every time they step up on the blocks to race –improving from heats to finals.
“This meet will allow us to identify gaps in our performance strategy and refine and finetune our processes,” said Tantrum.
“But it is also important for what we do outside of the water. Rookie swimmers will be exposed to our Australian Dolphins’ team culture and leadership as well as US specific competition demands.
“Relays will be a focus for us. We are implementing our LA Games strategy at Para Pan Pacs by targeting entries in the 20pt, 34pt and S14 relays – relays will be an important metric for us not just for LA, but in the run into Brisbane 2032.
“Our team is a mixture of experienced and in-form campaigners like Lakeisha Patterson, Brenden Hall, Col Pearse and Tim Hodge and to help with the transition for the new Dolphins coming through to major competition.”
HALL OF FAME: Four-time Paralympian Brenden Hall will go down as one of Australia’s all-time greats. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
2026 Australian Para Pan Pac Swim Team, 2026 Para Pan Pacific Swimming ChampionshipsAugust 28–30, 2026, Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, California (US)
Montana Atkinson (USC Spartans, QLD)
Jesse Aungles (Cruiz, ACT)
Emily Beecrcoft (USC Spartans, QLD)
Victoria Belando Nicholson (Uni of QLD)
Ricky Betar (USC Spartans, QLD)
Lewis Bishop (Rackley, QLD)
Stephanie Bruzzese (PLC Sydney, NSW)
Declan Budd (Knox Pymble, NSW)
Rowan Crothers (Marion, SA)
Jasmine Fullgrabe (Marion, SA)
Tom Gallagher (St Peters Western, QLD)
Jasmine Greenwood (Woden Valley, ACT)
Brenden Hall (USC Spartans, QLD)
Benjamin Hance (St Andrews, QLD)
Kirralee Hayes (Genesis, QLD)
Timothy Hodge (Blacktown, NSW)
Jack Ireland (University of QLD)
Jenna Jones (USC Spartans, QLD)
Ahmed Kelly (Yarra Valley Water, VIC)
Beau Matthews (Aquablitz Toongabbie, NSW)
Jake Michel (Carina Leagues, QLD)
Madeleine McTerrnan (Griffith Uni, QLD)
Riley Moore (Woden Valley, ACT)
Chloe Osborn, (Blacktown, NSW)
Grant Patterson (Central Cairns, QLD)
Lakeisha Patterson (USC Spartans, QLD)
Col Pearse (Nunawading, VIC)
Alex Saffy (Woden Valley, ACT)
Callum Simpson (Flinders Phoenix, QLD)
Darren Sisman (Cronulla, NSW)
Amelie Springett-Kelly (Aquablitz Toongabbie, NSW)
Keira Stephens (Griffith, QLD)
Ruby Storm (USC Spartans, QLD)
Kael Thompson (USC Spartans, QLD)
Liam Togher (Knox Pymble, NSW)
Alex Tuckfield (Aquablitz Toongabbie, NSW)
Harrison Vig (Uni of QLD)