Pan Pacific Championships, Day 3 Finals: Sam Williamson Edges Michael Houlie, Van Mathias in 50 Breast; Third Individual Gold of Summer
For the seventh time in three days of racing at Pan Pacs, an Australian swimmer has won gold after previously topping the same event on the other side of the Atlantic at the recent Commonwealth Games. Following previous doubles from Sam Short, Lani Pallister, Ben Armbruster and Meg Harris, the 50 breaststroke title went to Sam Williamson, the 28-year-old from Victoria who bounced back from a potentially career-ending knee injury in May 2025 for the finest season of his career.
Williamson raced from lane three, right next to the swimmer who finished one spot behind him at the Commonwealth Games, South Africa’s Michael Houlie. Also swimming in the middle of the pool was American Van Mathias, a 25-year-old who has gone from the verge of retirement to the top of the world rankings in just over a year. Mathias won gold in the 100 breast one night earlier.
As expected, those three swimmers emerged as the class of the group. Houlie jumped out to the front, as per his usual style, but Williamson came through in the closing strokes to get to the wall narrowly ahead in 26.36. That time was six hundredths ahead of a silver-medal tie between Houlie and Mathias, both going 26.42.
Williamson now ranks No. 3 in the world for this year behind the 26.23 posted by Italy’s Simone Cerasuolo earlier in the day at the European Championships and Mathias’ 26.30 from the Indianapolis Pro Series in June. He went 0.14 quicker than in his winning effort at the Commonwealth Games, a race where Houlie also claimed silver.
This victory continued a massive summer haul for Williamson, who previously won gold in the 100 breast in addition to the 50 at the Commonwealth Games as well as golds as the breaststroker on a pair of Australian medley relays, mixed and men’s. Williamson had already earned a pair of Pan Pacs medals, silver in the mixed medley relay and bronze in the 100 breast.
“I couldn’t be prouder to come away after the last 15 months, with everything that’s happened, to come away after the last two weeks of racing of 0.4, 0.5 off my best time. After the last two massive weeks of campaign, I couldn’t be prouder. I think just getting my hands on the wall first, though, it makes it a little more special,” Williamson said.
“I knew Van had been quick. He’d been quick a few months ago. Michael as well. He was going to be up there, considering how fast he swam in Glasgow the other week. But I knew that my swim speed’s been my strength these last few weeks of racing, and I knew if I could put myself in it at the start, at that first 15 meters, I was in with a chance to get a medal.”
Mathias has also put together a hefty medal haul through three days at Pan Pacs. On night one, he placed second in the 50 fly and helped the United States set a world record in the mixed 400 medley relay before his individual achievement in the 100 breast Thursday.
Michael Andrew of the United States placed fourth here in 26.78, with Joao Gomes also going sub-27 (26.99). American Campbell McKean, meanwhile, out-classed the B final in a time of 26.94.
