The strength of Manly’s high-performance swimming pathway was on display in Vancouver as athlete Lillie McPherson and coach Justin Rothwell both played key roles for Australia at the 2026 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.
Held in Canada in August, the championships brought together many of the world’s top emerging swimmers, providing a major test for Australia’s Junior Dolphins team. McPherson rose to the challenge, helping Australia secure silver medals in the women’s 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays while also reaching four individual finals.
From Manly to International Competition
McPherson’s achievements are the latest chapter in a journey that began at the Manly Andrew ‘Boy’ Charlton Aquatic Centre, where she has trained since her early teenage years.
Competing on the international stage, she reached the finals of the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly. Those performances came against strong opposition from swimming nations including the United States, Japan, Canada, New Zealand and Singapore.
Rather than being defined by a single race, the championships highlighted the depth of McPherson’s abilities across both freestyle and butterfly events. Her ability to qualify for multiple finals reinforced the consistency that has become a hallmark of her swimming.
National Results Set the Foundation
The Vancouver campaign followed an outstanding year at the Australian Age Championships, where McPherson claimed gold medals in the 50m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly. She also earned silver medals in the 100m freestyle and 200m individual medley.
Those results secured her place on the Australian Junior Dolphins team and further established her as one of the country’s most successful age-group swimmers.
International competition is not new to McPherson. At the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago, she won silver in the 100m butterfly and added bronze medals during the meet, building valuable experience that has helped shape her progress in recent seasons.
Local Influence Reaches the National Team
The Manly connection extended beyond the starting blocks.
While McPherson was racing for Australia in Vancouver, Manly Andrew ‘Boy’ Charlton Aquatic Centre Head Coach Justin Rothwell was serving as one of only six coaches selected for the Australian Junior Dolphins team.
Reports from the championships indicated the Australian squad featured many athletes making their international debut. Rothwell noted that swimmers, coaches and support staff worked closely throughout the campaign and delivered strong performances against quality international opposition.
His selection, alongside McPherson’s success in the pool, highlighted the contribution Manly’s swimming community made to Australia’s junior program at the championships.
Looking Ahead
At 18, McPherson’s development continues to gather momentum.
According to publicly available swimming recruitment reports, she has committed to continue her academic and sporting career at the University of Florida in the United States, one of the leading collegiate swimming programs in the world.
The move is expected to provide another important step in her development as she pursues higher levels of international competition and works towards her long-term goal of earning selection to Australia’s senior Dolphins team.
Her achievements add to a strong period for swimmers and coaches connected to Manly programs, with local representatives continuing to leave their mark on the national and international stage.
Published Date 24-September-2026
Photo Credit: Lillie McPherson/ Instagram
