Golden moment for gutsy Jake at Tokyo Pan Pacs

Noosa swimmer fighting back from setbacks

HARD EARNED: Jake Packard with his god medal from the Pan Pacs. Picture: Copntributed

NOOSA'S Jake Packard has stunned quite a few commentators by not only winning gold at the Pan Pacs in Tokyo, but by swimming tenaciously to take individual silver in the 100m breaststroke earlier that night.

Packard, a former St Andrew's Anglican College student, also swam a strong leg in Australia's 4x100m mixed medley relay after his individual personal high.

In that individual race, Japan's Yasuhiro Koseki was quick off the blocks and took the lead early but Packard refused to be left behind in a tight race through to the finish. Koseki just out-touched Packard 59.08 seconds to 59.20.

Packard's time was a best by a few hundredths and gave the Australians silver in both 100m breaststroke championship races on the night after Jess Hansen slashed half a second from her personal best.

He posted afterwards on Instagram: "Amazing experience last night first individual medal and one to remember in the relay”.

The Australian relay started with two men in the tactical race and held a strong lead over the US after backstroker Mitch Larkin and Packard had finished their legs.

But they trailed Japan, who also chose to lead with two men, and while Emma McKeon held off US world record-holder Caleb Dressel in an impressive butterfly leg, Japan still held the lead before Cate Campbell hauled in Tomomi Aoki in the first 25m of her freestyle final leg.

Packard, who has been working on his strength and conditioning in the gym, was primed for something special and reeled off a split that gave McKeon every chance in her butterfly.

These swims helped erase his tough times battling serious illness and are a credit to his mental grit.