U.S. swimmers start fast at Pan Pacific Championships
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The weather might be cool in Australia -- it’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere -- but American swimmers got off to a hot start on Thursday at the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships.
Katie Ledecky came away with golds in the 200-meter and 800-meter freestyle events, and an injured Missy Franklin took bronze.
“It was my first big international double,” the 17-year-old Ledecky told reporters. “I wanted to see how I could handle it, and I’m really happy with how I handled it.”
Franklin, who has been battling a sore back, finished third in the 100 backstroke.
In all, the U.S. collected four golds, one silver and five bronze medals on Thursday. The other gold-medal winners were Cammile Adams in the 200 butterfly and Connor Jaeger in the 1,500 freestyle.
Wind and chilly temperatures have been a concern at the Gold Coast meet, where swimmers are racing outdoors. The competition serves as a qualifier for the 2015 world championships in Russia.
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