Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh narrowly missed out on the gold medal by 0.02 seconds in the women’s 200-meter individual medley at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. The Toronto native, who is the current Olympic and world champion, settled for silver behind China’s Yu Yiting, who set a championship record with a time of 2:07.45. American Alex Walsh claimed the bronze with a time of 2:07.66.
Yu started strong, maintaining a world-record pace in the butterfly leg before Regan Smith of the U.S. took the lead in the backstroke. However, Yu regained the lead in the breaststroke and managed to hold off McIntosh in the final moments of the race.
McIntosh’s performance in the 200m individual medley marked her third individual medal at the competition, having previously won gold in the 400m medley and silver in the 200m freestyle. Additionally, she contributed to Canada’s bronze medal in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
After the race, McIntosh expressed her disappointment, stating, “That was probably one of my better swims of the meet, but overall this meet didn’t go the way I wanted it to. So there will definitely be a lot of reflection and focus on how I can be better next season.”
At just 19 years old, McIntosh competed in her final individual race as a teenager, reflecting on her achievements and expressing her eagerness to continue learning and improving in her 20s.
In another event, Canadian Alexanne Lepage clinched the gold medal in the women’s 200m breaststroke, outperforming reigning Olympic and world champion Kate Douglass of the United States. Lepage led the race from start to finish, setting a lifetime best time of 2:21.73. Douglass finished second with a time of 2:22.57, while South Africa’s Kaylene Corbett secured the third spot.
Canada concluded the Pan Pacific Championships with a total of 13 medals, including three gold, four silver, and six bronze medals, marking the country’s most successful performance since 1997. The United States topped the overall medal standings with 50 medals, followed by Australia with 35 and Canada.
The event also saw notable performances from other Canadian swimmers, with Taylor Ruck setting a new Canadian record in the women’s 50m freestyle, and various Canadian relay teams and individual swimmers achieving commendable results in their respective events.