Michael Phelps overcame the first hurdle to a potential return to Olympic competition in 2016 when he was named along with exciting ­teenagers Katie Ledecky and Missy Franklin on the US team for the Pan Pacific Championships (PanPacs) on Sunday (US time).

Phelps' qualification for the August 21-24 championships on Australia's Gold Coast has also earned the winner of 18 Olympic gold ­medals a ticket to next year's world championships in ­Kazan, Russia.

His fellow Olympic champions Allison Schmitt, Natalie Coughlin and Katie Hoff, however, failed to make the team for the Pan Pacific championships in Australia.

The trio failed to make the top three in any of their individual events at the US National Championships in Irvine, California and were not ­included in the 60-strong squad that also earned selection for next year's world championships.

Phelps, who came out of retirement in May ­after quitting the sport following the 2012 ­London Olympic Games with 22 medals in total, was ­using the national championships to determine whether he would push through to Rio.

He qualified for the 100 meters butterfly and 200 meters individual medley at the championships.

Ledecky, who qualified in the 200, 400 and 800 meters freestyle, set a world record in the 400 meters in Irvine, her third record swim inside six weeks. She broke the 800 and 1500 meters freestyle records at a meeting in Texas in June.

The men's team will also include Olympic gold medalists Nathan Adrian, Tyler Clary, Matt Grevers and 2000 Olympic champion Anthony Ervin. The women's group will feature up-and-comers like Simone Manuel in the absence of the missing Olympic trio.