On Day 6 of the World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Singapore, Liana Planz proved that you don’t need a big team to make a big impact. The 21-year-old, flying the flag for American Samoa took on the Women’s 50m Butterfly delivering a stunning personal best of 29:99. A major improvement on her previous best of 33.01 from 2023.
Having completed her perfect race, Liana reflects positively on executing her ideal race. “It was good, it was everything I planned,” she said with a smile after the race. “I did everything to a tee, so I felt pretty happy with the race.”
Racing in a heat alongside fellow Pacific Island swimmers Loane Russet (Vanuatu) and Kestra Kihleng (FSM), Liana showed complete focus and control from start to finish. With her mom, her biggest cheerleader, looking on from the stands, and a week of preparation behind her, everything clicked when it mattered most.
It’s a race she planned meticulously. “I just focused on the little things,” she explained. “The number of underwater kicks I was going to do, my start, how many breaths I would take. I planned it all, and everything just came together.”
Liana’s swim marked another step forward following her success at the 2024 Short Course Worlds in Budapest, where she earned two national records. While she may be the only athlete wearing the American Samoa cap this week, she’s never felt alone. Instead, reflecting on the opportunity being part of the Oceania family affords her “I get to know all the Oceania team, so it’s not like I’m alone. I’m friends with everybody else.”
With her races scheduled late in the competition, Liana took the extra time to adjust and settle in. “I was expecting to be really nervous, but I wasn’t,” she said. “I had the whole week to prepare and get used to the time change. So I was confident in my swim.”
That focus stayed with her even as she approached the blocks. In order to stay grounded at this world class stage she is clear on how she manages this, “I just stick in my lane, metaphorically. I focus on myself, try not to think about what other people are doing, and just trust my own process because my process is different from everybody else’s.”
And when the nerves did kick in, she knew who she could count on. “It feels nice to have somebody here I know,” she said of her mom. “She’s a really big supporter and was super excited”. She laughs, “I think she was more nervous than I was!”
With her 50m Butterfly now behind her, Liana returns to the pool tomorrow for the Women’s 50m Freestyle, joined by several other Pacific Island swimmers.
Confident, composed, and clearly in form, American Samoa’s solo star is showing that one swimmer can still make a whole nation proud.
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Written by The Reporters’ Academy. Photos by Andrea Schuster