Annamay Pierse, seen at the 2009 world championships, is among over 50 Canadian swimmers competing this week. Annamay Pierse, seen at the 2009 world championships, is among over 50 Canadian swimmers competing this week. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

When Canada's swimmers dive into the water at this week's Pan Pacific Swim Championships the finish line in their sights will be the 2012 London Olympics.

The meet, which begins today in Irvine, Calif., will bring together some of the world's best racers from the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Japan and Canada.

"It's the start of the cycle," Annamay Pierse, the world record holder in the 200-metre breaststroke, said in a recent interview. "We are two years out [from London].

"This is kind of going to be my baseline, where I start from. It's a good time and place to see where I am at and work on it from there."

Ryan Cochrane, a bronze medallist at the 2008 Games in Beijing, said most swimmers took a mental sabbatical last summer.

"This year it's about kick-starting it back up," said the 21-year-old from Victoria. "We only have two more major competitions before the Olympic trials, not a lot of time.

"Looking back over the last two years, it went fast. You know it will go by even quicker for the next two years."

The Canadian coaching staff wants medals in California, but also will use the meet as a reference point.

"What it's really going to give us is a pretty clear view of where the rest of the world is," Pierre Lafontaine, Swimming Canada's chief executive officer and national coach, said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles.

"It's going to be a pretty clear indication of where we are and what we need to re-adjust in terms of planning our program. If we're not in the game here, we'd better do something drastically more intense or more focused than we've been doing."

Leading the wave of international swimmers will be American Michael Phelps, winner of eight gold medals in Beijing.

Also competing will be Australia's Jessica Schipper, the world record holder in the 200 butterfly; Olympic breaststroke champion Kosuke Kitajima of Japan; Brazil's Cesar Cielo, an Olympic and world champion in the 50-metre freestyle; and Ous Mellouli of Tunisia, the Olympic and world champion in the 1,500-metre freestyle.

Overall, 336 swimmers from 21 countries will compete.

Canada is sending a 57-member team to the Pan Pacs, which wrap up Sunday. Swimming Canada will also use the competition to pick the 25-member team that will compete at the Commonwealth Games this October in India.

The Pan-Pac team is a mixture of battle-hardened veterans and wide-eyed rookies. It will be led by 18 Olympians and 23 swimmers who competed at last year's world aquatic championships. The team will also have 21 swimmers making their first appearance on the senior A squad.

Pierce, a silver medallist at the world championships, is battling back after being diagnosed with a magnesium deficiency which has sapped her strength since September.