The Pan Pacific Championships in the pool begin Wednesday this week but before five days of action get underway in the tank, there's some sharkery to get the party started out at seas as Moescha Johnson leads a new generation of Dolphins in Open Water tomorrow.

The newcomers to the Australian team received their gold caps today, and that "in front of the full team and special guest, swimming legend Daniel Kowalski" in Irvine, California, as Swimming Australia notes as it introduces its debutantes two years out from the LA2028 Olympics - and six years out from Brisbane 2032:

"The 43-strong team welcomed rookies Jacqueline Davison-McGovern (#879) and Euan Linley (#883) – who will compete in the 10km open water tomorrow at Long Beach Marine Stadium - to the Dolphins’ family.

"The pair will line up alongside reigning world champion Moesha Johnson, who is unbeaten in the 10km this year, and Paris Olympian Nick Sloman, a proven performer and bronze medallist in the men’s 10km at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships.

"Meanwhile Chelsea Douyere (nee Gubecka) adds more than a decade of experience to the Dolphin’s open water side, alongside pool convert Tiana Kritzinger, fresh from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games."

Since 2012, the Dolphins have made the gold cap sacrosanct for open teams and the presentation of the coveted caps included a motivational video wrapping up the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in Glasgow thumped the opposition:

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Australia gave the rest of the Commonwealth a thumping in Glasgow, though reports of “the greatest” Dolphin school ever are inaccurate (eg., see 1998); what does it means for GBR two years out from LA2028; and what do we make of the generous $1m in rewards for Aussies from Gina Rinehart?

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Since she thumped all-comers from across the world in Singapore at World titles last year, Johnson has gone from strength to strength as the premier female open-water ace. A memory of Singapore:

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A combined swimming medals table would grant Australia top of the table with one more gold than the USA, while Germany would have finished third best nation. The case for and against pooling open water & tank prizes, given that theatres include the same actors & teammates

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Here come the Pan Pacs, at which open water unfolds tomorrow, the 10th, and the pool swimming gets underway on the 12th and runs for just four days, less than half the Olympic schedule, timeframe-wise. The William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center is the tank venue, where even more sharkery and sharp speed is expected, the hosts. the United States heading into its only long-course international clash of the first year without a global gathering since 2020.

The Dolphins are missing several big hitters, but Meg Harris, Sam Short, Lani Pallister, Sam Williamson and Alex Perkins will lead the charge at the four0-day festival.