2023 Pan American Games: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2023 PAN AMERICAN GAMES

• October 21-25, 2023
• Santiago, Chile
• Meet Central
• Entries (Psych Sheet)
• Live Results
• Live Stream
  • Fubo TV (subscription required)
  • PanAm Sports Channel (USA, Canada, Jamaica)
• Day 1 Prelims Recap | Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap| Day 2 Finals Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Recap

Here we go: day 3 finals of the 2023 Pan American Games will be underway shortly. We’re officially over halfway done with the meet, as tonight’s session will be the 6th of 10 sessions in the meet.

DAY 3 FINALS EVENT SCHEDULE

• Women’s 100 free
• Men’s 100 free
• Women’s 200 breast
• Men’s 200 breast
• Women’s 100 back
• Men’s 100 back
• Women’s 800 free
• Men’s 800 free
• Mixed 4×100 medley relay

American Jonny Kulow led the way in the men’s 100 free this morning, posting a 48.49, which was just 0.04 seconds off his career best. Kulow, who has swum extremely well this year, will have his work cut out for him, however. Brazil’s Marcelo Chierighini and Gui Caribe were less than 0.2 seconds behind Kulow this morning and either of them could absolutely win tonight. The other American in the field, Brooks Curry, also could come through and wind up on top of the podium.

The men’s 800 free will see Brazilian star distance swimmer Guilherme Costa take the stage. Costa, who has already won gold in the men’s 400 free this week, comes into the timed final event as the top seed by a wide margin. Morevoer, Costa will almost certainly shatter the Pan American Games Record in the event tonight.

Prior to Costa racing in the men’s 800 free, we’ll get to see 15-year-old Agostina Hein of Argentina battle in the women’s 800. The youngster is the top seed coming into tonight and is the only swimmer in the heat seeded under 8:30.

After breaking the Pan American Games Record in the women’s 200 back last night, American Kennedy Noble will be trying to add a second individual gold medal to her tally tonight in the women’s 100 back.

WOMEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – FINALS

• World Record: 51.71 – Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden (2017)
• Pan American Games Record: 53.83 – Chantal Van Landeghem, Canada (2015)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Maggie MacNeil (Canada) – 53.64 (Pan American Games Record)
• SILVER: Stephanie Balduccini (Brazil) – 54.13
• BRONZE: Catie DeLoof (United States) – 54.50

Canadian star Maggie MacNeil notched her second gold medal of the meet and her second Pan American Games Record to boot. She clocked a 53.64 for victory in the women’s 100 free tonight, establishing a new career best in the process. MacNeil’s previous best time was 53.77, which she swam at the World Championships in Fukuoka over the summer. She also took down the Pan Am Record of 53.83, which was held by fellow Canadian Chantal Van Landeghem from back in 2015.

Brazilian Stephanie Balduccini earned her first individual medal of the meet after finishing off the podium in the 200 free last night. Balduccini was just off her best of 54.10 with the performance.

Coming in as the top seed in the event, American Catie DeLoof found her way onto the podium as well, clocking a 54.50 for bronze. It was a decent swim for DeLoof, who has been under 54 seconds multiple times in her career.

A fun note on this event: all three medalists are currently competing for or have previously competed for the University of Michigan in the United States. MacNeil is arguably the greatest Michigan women’s swimmer ever, who left in 2022 to follow her coach to LSU. DeLoof is part of a family legacy at Michigan and she graduated in 2019. Meanwhile, Balduccini is currently a freshman at Michigan. Also of note, DeLoof and MacNeil were teammates at Michigan during the 2018-2019 season, when DeLoof was a senior and MacNeil a freshman.

MEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 46.86 – David Popovici, Romania (2022)
• Pan American Games Record: 47.84 – Cesar Cielo, Brazil (2011)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Gui Caribe (Brazil) – 48.06
• SILVER: Brooks Curry (United States) – 48.38 (TIE)
• SILVER: Jonny Kulow (United States) – 48.38 (TIE)

Brazil’s Gui Caribe pulled through to win the men’s 100 free in 48.06 tonight, beating out a pair of Americans to stand atop the podium. Caribe, who also competes for the University of Tennessee in the U.S., established a new career best with the swim, inching closer towards getting under 48 seconds.

Americans Brooks Curry and Jonny Kulow tied for 2nd behind Caribe, each stopping the clock in 48.38. Not only were Curry and Kulow tied at the finish, they were actually tied at the 50m turn as well, as they both split 23.10 on the opening 50. The pair was ahead of Caribe at the halfway point, as Caribe split 23.17 on the first 50.

Canadian Javier Acevedo finished in 4th tonight, clocking a 48.88. Of note, Brazil’s Marcelo Chierighini, who was the top seed coming into the meet with a 47.86, came in 5th tonight with a 48.92.

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINALS

• World Record: 2:17.55 – Evgeniia Chikunova, Russia (2023)
• Pan American Games Record: 2:21.40 – Annie Lazor, United States (2019)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Sydney Pickrem (Canada) – 2:23.39
• SILVER: Kelsey Wog (Canada) – 2:23.49
• BRONZE: Gabrielle Da Silva (Brazil) – 2:25.52

Though breaststroke has long been the weakest of the four strokes for the Canadian women’s team, the Canadian duo of Sydney Pickrem and Kelsey Wog went 1-2 in the 200 breast tonight and did so going away. Wog was out faster than Pickrem, splitting 32.95 on the first 50m to Pickrem’s 33.56. Pickrem was slightly faster on the second 50, but Wog still hit the 100m turn 0.37 seconds ahead of her. Wog then inched a little further ahead on the third 50, splitting 37.01 to Pickrem’s 37.16. It came down to the final 50, however, and that’s where Pickrem really turned it on. She came home in 36.46, significantly out-splitting Wog’s 37.08 and edging her out at the finish to win gold.

It was a really strong swim for Pickrem, who has a career best of 2:22.63, which she swam back at the 2019 Canadian Trials, when she was still competing for Texas A&M in the U.S. Meanwhile, Wog was just off her career best as well. Her PB stands at 2:22.42, which she swam back in February of 2020.

Brazil’s Gabrielle Da Silva earned the bronze medal tonight with a 2:25.52, picking up another medal for the Brazilians, who are off to a good start tonight.

The Americans weren’t exceptional in this event. Emma Weber was the top American, coming in 6th with a 2:31.01, while Anna Keating finished just behind her in 2:31.14. Weber has a personal best of 2:27.01, while Keating was even further from her best, which is a 2:25.20 from April of 2022.

MEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINALS

• World Record: 2:05.48 – Qin Haiyang, China (2023)
• Pan American Games Record: 2:07.62 – Will Licon, United States (2019)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Jake Foster (United States) – 2:10.71
• SILVER: Brayden Taivassalo (Canada) – 2:10.89
• BRONZE: Andres Puente (Mexico) – 2:11.99

After finishing off the podium in the women’s 200 breast, the United States picked up their first gold medal of the night in the men’s 200 breast, where Jake Foster clocked a 2:10.71. Timewise, the swim was just okay for Foster, who has a career best of 2:08.23 in the event, which he swam at the TYR Pro Championships about two months ago. However, the swim was huge in that the U.S. really needed that gold medal after what has been a pretty hit-or-miss day so far.

It was a close call, however, as Canada very nearly pulled off the sweep of the 200 breast. Brayden Taivassalo clocked a 2:10.89, finishing just 0.18 seconds behind Foster to earn the silver medal. The duo was locked in a very tight race at the 100m turn, where Taivassalo touched first in 1:02.91, just ahead of Foster (1:02.99). Foster then inched into the lead on the 3rd 50 and held on through the final length of the pool.

Mexico, which has been having a very good day so far, picked up their first medal of the day, swimming a 2:11.99 for 3rd. There was a huge gap between the top three tonight and the rest of the field, as Puerto Rico’s Xavier Ruiz came in 4th in 2:14.03.

WOMEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – FINALS

• World Record: 57.33 – Kaylee McKeown, Australia (2023)
• Pan American Games Record: 59.05 – Natalie Coughlin, United States (2015)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Josephine Fuller (United States) – 59.67
• SILVER: Kennedy Noble (United States) – 59.84
• BRONZE: Danielle Hanus (Canada) – 1:01.49

The U.S. had the event they needed to have in the women’s 100 back, as Josephine Fuller and Kennedy Noble went 1-2 in decisive fashion. The Americans were in a field of their own in this event, as 3rd place was a 1:01.49 out of Canada’s Danielle Hanus.

Fuller was on it from the start, splitting 28.95 on the opening 50m, which put her just ahead of Noble, who was 29.16. Noble, the 200 back champion from last night, would slightly close the gap on Fuller on the back half of the race, however, Fuller would still have enough to get her hand on the wall first.

Meanwhile, the battle for bronze was actually a thriller, though they were well behind the American duo. Hanus ended up touching the wall 3rd with a 1:01.49, though her Canadian teammate, Madelyn Gatrall, was just 0.01 seconds behind her, taking 4th in 1:01.50. It didn’t end there, however, as Mexico’s Miranda Grana touched 5th in 1:01.51, just 0.01 seconds behind Gatrall and 0.02 seconds behind Hanus.

MEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE – FINALS

• World Record: 51.60, Thomas Ceccon, Italy (2022
• Pan American Games Record: 53.12 – Guilherme Guido, Brazil (2015)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Adam Chaney (United States) – 54.20
• SILVER: Ulises Saravia (Argentina) – 54.23
• BRONZE: Blake Tierney (Canada) – 54.25

The men’s 100 back final was extremely tight tonight, seeing the top 6 swimmers all finish within 0.62 seconds of each other. The U.S. has gotten on a roll now, and Adam Chaney picked up the gold medal to mark the Americans’ third-straight gold tonight. He clocked a 54.20, finishing just 0.03 seconds ahead of Ulises Saravia.

Saravia had a huge swim to earn Argentina’s first medal of the night, and it was nearly a gold. Canadian Blake Tierney rounded out the podium with a 54.25, finishing just 0.02 seconds behind Saravia and 0.05 seconds behind Chaney.

Though neither ended up winning a medal, Brazil’s swimmers were out the fastest in the field tonight. As was the case this morning, Guilherme Basseto clocked the fastest first 50 split in the field, swimming a 25.97. Gabriel Fantoni was the 2nd-fastest on the front half, clocking a 26.12 on that 50. Basseto ended up in 4th with a 54.40, while Fantoni came in 6th with a 54.82.

Chaney was out with the 3rd-fastest first 50 split (26.13), meanwhile Saravia and Tierney swam more conservative races. Saravia was in 7th place at the turn, clocking a 26.42 on that length, while Tierney was 6th with a 26.33.

WOMEN’S 800 FREESTYLE – FINALS

• World Record: 8:04.79 – Katie Ledecky, United States (2016)
• Pan American Games Record: 8:27.54 – Sierra Schmidt, United States (2015)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Paige Madden (United States) – 8:27.99
• SILVER: Rachel Stege (United States) – 8:28.50
• BRONZE: Viviane Jungblut (Brazil) – 8:33.55

The United States continues to roll in the back half of tonight’s session, seeing Paige Madden and Rachel Stege go 1-2 in the women’s 800 free. Madden, who won gold in the women’s 400 free in Pan American Games Record fashion on the first night of the meet, clocked an 8:27.99 for gold tonight, narrowly missing out on another Games Record (8:27.54). Meanwhile, Stege swam an 8:28.50, finishing just behind Madden and well ahead of bronze medalist Viviane Jungblut (8:33.55).

The performance marks a massive personal best for Madden, who has historically been more of a 200/400 freestyler than an 800 freestyler. Her previous best was an 8:32.46, which she swam at the TYR Pro Championships about two months ago. Stege’s swim was also a huge personal best, blowing away her previous mark of 8:32.71, which she swam at the U.S. Trials in late June of this year.

Jungblut rounded out the podium, putting up her 8:33.55, which was a decent performance for her.

Argentina’s Agostina Hein, just 15 year old, came into the race as the top seed and the only swimmer seeded under 8:30, however, she just wasn’t at her best tonight, and came in 5th with an 8:39.72.

Of note, Chile’s own Kristel Kobrich, a 38-year-old competing in her record 6th Pan American Games, came in 4th tonight with an 8:35.69. It was a very good performance for Kobrich, holds the Chilean Record in the event with an 8:26.75 that she swam at the 2013 World Championships, a little over 10 years ago.

MEN’S 800 FREESTYLE – TIMED FINAL

• World Record: 7:32.12 – Zhang Lin, China (2009)
• Pan American Games Record: 7:54.70 – Andrew Abruzzo, United States (2019)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Guilherme Costa (Brazil) – 7:53.01
• SILVER: Alfonso Mestre (Venezuela) – 7:54.46
• BRONZE: Will Gallant (United States) – 7:58.96

As expected, Brazil’s Guilherme Costa won gold in the men’s 800 free tonight, though it was a closer race than we might’ve suspected coming into the meet. Still, Costa picked up his 2nd gold medal of the meet with a 7:53.01, beating out Venezuela’s Alfonso Mestre, who touched 2nd in 7:54.46. Both swimmers came in under the Pan American Games Record of 7:54.70, which American Andrew Abruzzo set at the last edition of the Games back in 2019.

It was a great race between likely the best two South American men’s distance swimmers currently. Costa, the top seed and South American Record holder (7:45.48), was out in front, establishing a very slim lead through the first 250 meters. Mestre then actually took over the lead on the 300m 50, and would hold the lead through the 550m turn. Costa would flip at the 600m turn just 0.01 seconds ahead of Mestre and would stay less than 0.10 seconds ahead of him until the final 100m of the race, where he began to pull away and ended up finishing 1.45 seconds ahead of Mestre.

The U.S. picked up a bronze medal with Will Gallant, who clocked a 7:58.96 to finish 3rd.

MIXED 4×100 MEDLEY RELAY – FINALS

• World Record: 3:37.58 – Great Britain (2021)
• Pan American Games Record: 3:48.27 – United States (2019)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: United States – 3:44.71 (Pan American Games Record)
• SILVER: Canada – 3:46.20
• BRONZE: Brazil – 3:49.24

The United States got off to a bit of a slow start tonight, but they caught fire once Jake Foster won gold in the men’s 200 breast and had a really nice run through the back half of the session. They capped off the night with a dominant win in the mixed 4×100 medley, shattering the Pan American Games Record in the process. Kennedy Noble led the team off in 59.72, followed by Jake Foster with a 1:00.09 on the breast leg. Kelly Pash posted a 57.51 on the fly leg, then Kulow pulled through with a blistering 47.39 on the anchor. Although it’s unusual to use a female-male-female-male lineup in the mixed medley, it appears to have paid dividends here for the Americans.

Canada was also way under the Pan American Games Record of 3:48.27, taking 2nd with a 3:46.20. Javier Acevedo led the Canadian squad off in 54.45, then Gabe Mastromatteo clocked a 1:00.78 on the breast leg. It was then Maggie MacNeil‘s turn and she came through, clocking a 56.67 on the fly leg, which was huge for her team. Mary-Sophie Harvey anchored in 54.30, but Kulow’s anchor was too much and she was passed on the 2nd 50.