Back in 2006, Michael Phelps set a 200m record at the Pan Pacific Championships, and it looked unbreakable. But 20 years later, Luca Urlando has done the impossible. And the icing on the cake: the man himself was there to see it with his own eyes.

“‘It’s gone!’ Phelps said after watching the finish,” reported Peter Baugh, talking about the incident.

Luca Urlando broke Michael Phelps’ Pan Pacific Championships record with a 1:53.11. The American beat teammate Carson Foster, who finished second in 1:53.67 at Irvine. Urlando overtook Phelps’ 1:53.80 mark by 0.69 seconds, breaking a record that stood since 2006.  

Phelps had set that mark on August 17, 2006, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The result also gave Urlando another major win after his return from injury earlier this season. 

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Urlando and Foster entered the final as the top two qualifiers, setting up another American battle. Urlando reached 50 meters in 25.4 seconds, sitting just behind the early leader. By the 100-meter mark, Urlando had moved ahead, but Foster was only 0.1 seconds behind.  

Foster continued pushing, but Urlando gradually opened the gap during the final 100 meters. He eventually reached the wall first, with Australia’s Harrison Turner taking third in 1:54.44. 

The record had belonged to Phelps since the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships. His 1:53.80 stood as the championship mark for nearly 20 years.  

Phelps was also in Irvine, sitting in the stands with his family during the final. Urlando knew well who was watching when he touched the wall. After the win, Urlando described breaking Phelps’ record with him watching as “the dream right there.” 

The moment became even more meaningful when Urlando spoke about what happened after his swim.  

He called the victory “so exciting” and said he was “super stoked” with his performance. Urlando admitted he had tightened slightly during the final stretch of the swim but was pleased with his finish. He had also spoken directly with Phelps about the record after touching the wall.  

After the race, Urlando met with Phelps and asked him, ” Michael, is that your record?” Phelps responded to this and said, “Yeah, they’re all gone now.” 

Then came the scene that made the record-breaking night even more memorable for Urlando. Phelps stepped forward and presented Urlando with his gold medal at the ceremony.  

The former record holder was now handing the medal to the swimmer who replaced him in the record books. It gave the night a fitting ending, with the past and present of USA Swimming in the same frame. 

While records fall at one end, a record extends at another

While Urlando was busy taking over the throne from Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky was busy extending her winning record. Katie Ledecky began the Pan Pacific Championships exactly where fans expected, on top of the 1500m freestyle.  

The American touched the wall at 15:36.09, winning gold and earning her first international medal on home soil. She was under the world-record pace, but still had the Irvine crowd standing on their feet.  

Ledecky eventually pulled away from Australia’s Lani Pallister, controlled the race and took the medal comfortably.  

Pallister stayed close during the opening stages, giving Ledecky some chase before the gap started growing. Ledecky soon opened a body-length lead and began putting more space between her and 2nd place.  

The Australian kept pushing and finished in 15:38.62, 2.53 seconds behind Ledecky. But it was over once the American took the lead.  

Her winning time was still slower than the 15:20.48 world record she set in 2018. Even so, the victory extended Ledecky’s unbeaten streak in the 1500m freestyle dating back to 2010.  

She also returned to a Pan Pacific meet as the defending champion after winning gold in 2018. This time, though, the setting carried extra meaning because she was finally home and had the fans backing her.  

The crowd watched as she finished another 1500m race with the gold medal. There was no late drama, but there was still something special about seeing Ledecky win. Her first international medal at home has finally arrived, and it came in her signature event.