Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh narrowly missed out on the gold medal by a mere 0.02 seconds in the women’s 200-meter individual medley at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. Despite her impressive performance, she 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 on the butterfly leg, briefly setting a world-record pace before Regan Smith of the U.S. took the lead on the backstroke. However, Yu regained the lead during the breaststroke leg and managed to hold off McIntosh in the closing meters.
This marked McIntosh’s third individual medal at the outdoor meet, having previously secured gold in the 400m medley and silver in the 200m freestyle. She also contributed to Canada’s bronze in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
Reflecting on her performance, McIntosh expressed her satisfaction with her swim but acknowledged that the overall meet did not go as planned. As the world record-holder in the event with a time of 2:05.70, set in 2025 at the Canadian trials, McIntosh remains focused on improving for the upcoming seasons.
In another event, Canadian Alexanne Lepage clinched gold in the women’s 200m breaststroke, outperforming reigning Olympic champion Kate Douglass. Lepage led the race from start to finish, touching the wall in a lifetime best of 2:21.73. Douglass settled for silver with a time of 2:22.57, while South Africa’s Kaylene Corbett secured the bronze in 2:22.97.
With a total of 13 medals (three gold, four silver, six bronze), Canada had its most successful showing at the Pan Pacific Championships since 1997. The U.S. dominated the overall medal standings with 50 medals, followed by Australia with 35 and Canada with 13.
In other notable achievements, Australian Sam Short claimed victory in the men’s 1,500 free, setting a championship record with a time of 14:33.97. Additionally, Jamie Jack of Australia won the men’s 50 free in a championship record time of 21.35.
The competition also saw Canadian Taylor Ruck lowering her national record in the women’s 50m freestyle, finishing fourth with a time of 24.23. Ruck expressed her satisfaction with the performance, highlighting the payoff of her hard work throughout the year.
Overall, the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships showcased outstanding performances from athletes worldwide, setting the stage for future competitions and record-breaking achievements.
