Mikayla Tan Could Soon Become Breaststroke Force for Singapore
A pair of victories at this weekend’s Pro Swim Series in Sacramento, Calif., represented the most significant career accomplishments thus far for Mikayla Tan. The San Ramon Valley swimmer topped the 200 breaststroke Friday in 2:26.35, capping off a meet where she cut almost two seconds from her best time of 2:28.11. She added another win in the 100 breast Saturday in 1:08.16.
In the longer race, Tan approached the 15-16 National Age Group record of 2:25.35, a mark set by Anita Nall in 1992, and Tan could certainly reach that time in the coming months. However, the time would not count as a NAG record since Tan represents Singapore internationally. She has competed for her home country at the 2024 Junior Pan Pacific Championships and the 2025 World Junior Championships, qualifying for the final of the 100 breast on the latter occasion and finishing eighth.
Her latest results, however, suggest Tan could make an impact on senior-level competition in the not-too-distant future. Her 200 breast time is hardly a medal-contending mark for international racing, but it would have been quick enough to qualify for the semifinals at last year’s World Championships. This year, as the Pan Pacific Championships return to the international calendar for the first time since 2018, Tan absolutely has the potential to reach the final and compete against the likes of Olympic gold medalist Kate Douglass.
Tan’s time from this recent Pro Series was three seconds quicker than she went at the same meet last year, which marked her first time under 2:30. She could be tracking toward a 2:25 or even 2:24 by the end of the summer. Her 100 remain further away from international contention, but she has dropped a full second from her best time already this season.
As for short course yards, Tan owns breaststroke best times of 59.04 in the 100 and 2:06.74 in the 200, both achieved at last year’s Junior Nationals West. In a winning victory in the 200 breast, Tan broke the meet record held by Olympic champion Lydia Jacoby and swam a time that only one American has ever beaten in the 15-16 age group, Alex Walsh. The time would have placed Tan sixth at this year’s NCAA Championships.
Not bad for a swimmer with two years remaining until she would enter the college ranks. In the meantime, she took advantage of relatively open breaststroke fields in Sacramento to expand her profile against American competition. Another chance awaits a few hundred miles south when Pan Pacs come to Irvine, Calif., in August.
