US Swimmers Earn Over $1.1 Million in Operation Gold Payouts at Pan Pacific Championships
American swimmers rake in significant rewards at the 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, with top earners earning over $90,000 each.
US swimmers have earned substantial rewards at the 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, with top performers earning significant sums of money.
Gretchen Walsh and Kate Douglass, University of Virginia post-grad teammates, were the leading U.S. earners from the various Operation Gold programs available to American swimmers at the meet. They earned $93,750 and $73,750, respectively, across the four-day meet.
The total payout to US swimmers from the USOPC and USA Swimming for the meet exceeded $1.1 million. This amount is notable, especially considering that there was no global long course championship paying out significant prize money this year.
In contrast to prize money earned at meets like the World Championships, which comes from meet organizers and does not include Operation Gold payouts, the money earned at Pan Pacs is from internal sources.
The top male earner was Van Mathias, who won three gold medals and two silver medals at the meet. His individual title in the 100 meter breaststroke was a highlight of his performance.
## Operation Gold++ Earnings
| Name | Earnings | | --- | --- | | Gretchen Walsh | $93,750 | | Kate Douglass | $73,750 | | Van Mathias | $63,750 |
The table above shows the top three earners from the US Operation Gold++ program at the 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.
The significant earnings from Operation Gold payouts at Pan Pacs serve as an incentive for American swimmers to perform well in the meet.
