MICHAEL PHELPS, Ian Thorpe, Jon Sieben and Jayden Hadler.

Between them they have won 20 Olympic gold medals, and while Hadler is yet to open his golden account, his recent exploits at the Queensland state titles have earned him his place alongside the trio - at least for a 15-year-old.

Teenage prodigies are hardly uncommon in swimming, and Hadler - one of 32 swimmers who left Sydney on Saturday for Guam to compete at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships later this week - is one of the latest crop unearthed through Swimming Australia's extensive youth and junior programs.

At the championships in Brisbane last month, he won the 15-year-old's 200 metres butterfly in a time of 2:01.97, snugly inside the previous Queensland record of 2:02.94 set by 1984 Olympic gold medalist Sieben, in 1982.

Two days later, Hadler won the open 200m butterfly, and his 1:58.67 broke the Australian 15-year-old's record of 2:00.28, set in 1998 by Thorpe.

It was also under the Australian record for 16-year-olds, and only a second and a half slower than the time a 17-year-old Sieben swam to win gold in Los Angeles.

The only record Hadler was unable to touch was the Australian All Comers record (the fastest time swum in Australia by a 15-year-old of any nation), that stands at 1:56.50, swum by Phelps at the Sydney Olympics.

He still has a little way to go and a little further to Nick D'Arcy's national open record of 1:55.10, then Phelps's world record of 1:52.03, but the signs are positive.

He also set national 15-year-old records in the 100m butterfly and the 200m individual medley at the titles.

"I think when you break Jon Sieben's age group record that speaks for itself really," head coach Alan Thompson said. "He's a talented youngster, someone we've noticed and put on our radar a while ago, and Jayden is someone we want to nurture and assist all the way through. But just because they are good when they are 15 doesn't mean they will be good when they are 18 to 19 or 20. There's still a bit of time to go for him yet but the signs are good. The big thing is as long as you keep your head screwed on right - a lot can happen between 15 and 20 - so you've got to be careful, and we will be paying close attention and helping his coach as best we can."