Top U.S. Para Swimmers Set for Home Waters at 2026 Para Pan Pacific Championships

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The road to LA28 continues later this month as many of the world's top Para swimmers travel to Walnut, California, for the 2026 Para Pan Pacific Championships, Aug. 28-30, at Mt. San Antonio College. 

Hosted by U.S. Paralympics Swimming for the first time since 2014, the international championship will feature 10 nations and 170 athletes for three days of racing. The competition also provides Team USA another opportunity to race on home soil less than two years before the LA28 Paralympic Games. 

“Para Pan Pacs offers the U.S. Paralympic swimming community the opportunity to test themselves against some of the best international competition in the sport,” said Cole Hensley, U.S. Paralympics Swimming resident team coach. “As we look toward LA28, this meet represents an invaluable opportunity for coaches, athletes and staff alike. 

“Meets of this nature bring with them a powerful sense of excitement, energy and purpose, creating a truly infectious atmosphere on deck. As we continue preparing Team USA for success at LA28, this meet provides an important opportunity to evaluate performance data, gain racing experience and build momentum for the road ahead. We are all excited to cheer on the athletes of Team USA as they compete later this week.” 

The Para Pan Pacific Championships bring together many of the sport's strongest swimming nations, including Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States, along with additional invited nations, providing a championship-caliber international competition midway through the Paralympic cycle. The competition has served as a key benchmark on the international calendar since its debut in 2011. 

One of the most recognizable names in Paralympic sport, Brad Snyder returns to international Para swimming competition for the first time since the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. 

A three-time Paralympian and eight-time Paralympic medalist, Snyder won five Paralympic swimming gold medals across London 2012 and Rio 2016 before shifting his focus to paratriathlon, where he captured gold at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. Now, after nearly a decade away from elite Para swimming, the Navy veteran is back in the pool as he begins another chapter with his sights set on LA28. 

Less than three years after surviving a shark attack that resulted in the loss of her lower left leg, Ali Truwit has emerged as one of Team USA's brightest Para swimming stars. The two-time Paris 2024 Paralympic silver medalist enters the 2026 Para Pan Pacific Championships continuing to build on her success since Paris, while also expanding the impact of her Stronger Than You Think Foundation through a new performance incentive fund for U.S. Para swimmers. 

Now one of the leaders of Team USA's next generation, Truwit will look to continue her momentum on home soil as she races against many of the world's top Para swimmers while taking another step toward the LA28 Paralympic Games. 

Four-time Paralympian and seven-time Paralympic medalist Mallory Weggemann remains one of the most accomplished athletes on Team USA's roster. After returning to the Paralympic stage at Paris 2024, Weggemann has continued competing internationally while balancing elite sport and motherhood. 

Weggemann enters Pan Pacs with momentum after winning gold in the 200-meter individual medley and bronze in the 50-meter butterfly at the 2026 Para Swimming World Series stop in Berlin. The 37-year-old now turns her attention to another international test on home soil as she continues toward a potential fifth Paralympic Games at LA28.

Few athletes enter the 2026 Para Pan Pacific Championships with a résumé as accomplished as Leanne Smith. The two-time Paralympian has established herself as one of the world's premier swimmers in the S3 classification, winning multiple Paralympic, world and international titles while setting world and Paralympic records along the way. 

Coming off a four-medal performance at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games that included two gold medals, Smith has continued her success in 2026, most recently setting four American records at the inaugural John H. Ogden Northeast Para Open. She enters Pan Pacs as one of Team USA's veteran leaders and will look to carry that momentum into another international competition on home soil. 

Koehn Boyd became the first Para swimmer to earn Swimmer of the Meet honors three consecutive years at the U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships, winning five races at this year’s event. One of the sport’s fastest-rising young swimmers and the youngest athlete on the 2026 National A Team, Boyd continues to build momentum on the road to LA28. 

Pan Pacs gives the 17-year-old another opportunity to translate his domestic success to the international stage against some of the top swimmers in his classification. 

Few swimmers have risen as quickly as Katie Kubiak. After joining the sport in 2023, Kubiak has rapidly established herself on the international stage, setting multiple world records before winning four gold medals and seven total medals in her World Championships debut in 2025 
 

Kubiak enters the 2026 Para Pan Pacific Championships looking to build on that breakout international season as she continues toward what could be her first Paralympic Games at LA28. 

At just 23 years old, Summer Schmit already brings the experience of two Paralympic Games and multiple world championships to Team USA. A 2022 world championships bronze medalist in the 400-meter freestyle, Schmit continued to build on her international résumé last season with victories in both the 100-meter and 400-meter freestyle at the 2025 Para Swimming World Series finale in Lima. 
 

While Team USA's roster features a mix of Paralympic veterans and established international stars, the 2026 Para Pan Pacific Championships also provide an opportunity for the next generation to shine. Four swimmers recently hit their marks and were added to the U23 National Team this season, with Liberty Freeman, Mei White, Daniella Berger and Josie Dolan set to represent the team in Walnut. 

Other rising athletes to watch include Piper Sadowski, Dillon Mezey and Aiden Stivers. Sadowski arrives after a breakout domestic season that included an American record in the women's S14 400-meter freestyle and continued success across multiple events. Mezey, meanwhile, emerged as one of the nation's brightest young talents after setting five American records at the U.S. Paralympics Swimming National Championships. Stivers enters Pan Pacs following his first world championships appearance in 2025 and continues to build international experience as the road to LA28 continues. 

Training begins Aug. 24 before three days of racing get underway Aug. 28 at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California. Competition runs through Aug. 30, with preliminary heats each morning before athletes return for finals each evening. 

With LA28 now less than two years away, the Para Pan Pacific Championships offer one of Team USA's biggest international tests of the 2026 season while providing valuable racing experience against top international competition.