Summer McIntosh, the current record-holder in the women’s 400-meter freestyle, did not qualify for the A final at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships held in Irvine, California. Despite being in a position to secure the second spot behind Australia’s Lani Pallister in the morning heat, McIntosh finished third, placing ninth overall with a time of 4 minutes 8.56 seconds, which was 14 seconds slower than her record time. China’s Fan Yaqi, aged 15, clinched the final spot with a time of 4:08.36 for the evening final at 10:07 p.m. ET.
The 19-year-old Canadian athlete, hailing from Toronto, expressed her disappointment and took responsibility for her performance on Instagram. McIntosh announced that she and her teammate Ella Cosgrove, who finished 13th overall, would compete in the B final at 10:01 p.m. The event can be streamed live on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem.
Last June, McIntosh set a new record of 3:54.18 at the Canadian swimming trials in Victoria, surpassing the record previously held by the retired Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus. The much-anticipated A final at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center featured American record-holder Katie Ledecky, Pallister, and McIntosh. Ledecky topped the qualifiers with a time of 4:03.48, while Pallister secured the fourth spot with a time of 4:05.22.
McIntosh’s Pan Pacific debut included winning silver in the women’s 200 free on Wednesday, followed by breaking the championship record in the 400 individual medley and earning bronze in the women’s 200 free relay on Thursday. She is set to compete in the 200 IM on Saturday at the championship.
