---
title: "Sam Short 1500m freestyle title Irvine, California; Hackett's 2001 record broken"
sdDatePublished: "2026-08-16T13:13:00Z"
source: "https://www.olympics.com/en/news/pan-pacific-swimming-championships-2026-sam-short-breaks-grant-hackett-s-historic-australian-record-to-take-1500m-freestyle-title"
topics:
  - name: "swimming"
    identifier: "medtop:20001071"
  - name: "sport"
    identifier: "medtop:15000000"
locations:
  - "Orange"
  - "Sydney"
  - "Australia"
  - "Germany"
---


Sam Short 1500m freestyle title Irvine, California; Hackett's 2001 record broken

Pan Pacific Swimming Championships 2026: Sam Short breaks Grant Hackett's historic Australian record to take 1500m freestyle title

Pan Pacific Swimming Championships 2026: Sam Short breaks Grant Hackett's historic Australian record to take 1500m freestyle title

The Australian rounded off a great week by breaking the old National Record that had stood since 2001, to add to his other golds in the 400m and 800m freestyle in California.

Sam Short came into Saturday's 1500m final with two golds already under his belt at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships 2026 .

The Australian won the men's 800m freestyle on the opening day in Irvine, California.

Then on Friday, he clocked 3min 40.52sec to win the 400m free - eclipsing fellow Australian Ian Thorpe ’s championship record of 3:41.83, set in Sydney in 1999.

His time also bettered the US Open record of 3:43.33 set by Rex Maurer in 2025.

The Australian's great form continued into Saturday (15 August), when he swam 14:33.97 to take the 1500m free title - breaking the old National Record of 14:34.56 set by legend Grant Hackett at the 2001 World Championships.

Short’s swim also broke Hackett’s Pan Pacs Record of 14:41.65 from the 2002 edition of the meet - the oldest Pan Pacs Record still on the books.

His victory came on the same day Germany's Johannes Leibmann posted a time of 14:26.79 in winning the 1500m free at the European Swimming Championships - obliterating Bobby Finke’s World record from the Paris Olympics at 14:30.67.

Pan Pacific Swimming Championships 2026: Full schedule and all results

Bobby Finke - Men's 1500m Freestyle | Gold Medal Highlights | Swimming | Olympic Games Paris 2024

Watch the Men's 1500m Freestyle Gold Medal Highlights from the Olympic Games Paris 2024!

Picture by 2025 Getty Images