Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh narrowly missed out on a gold medal by 0.02 seconds in the women’s 200-meter individual medley at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. 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, being under world-record pace in the opening butterfly leg, before American Regan Smith briefly took the lead on the backstroke. However, Yu regained the lead during the breaststroke and managed to hold off McIntosh in the final stretch.
This marked McIntosh’s third individual medal of the event, having previously won gold in the 400m medley and silver in the 200m freestyle. Additionally, she contributed to Canada’s bronze in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
Despite the close finish, McIntosh expressed satisfaction with her performance, considering it one of her best swims at the meet. She reflected on areas for improvement and expressed determination to excel in the upcoming season.
At 19 years old, McIntosh competed in her final individual race as a teenager, acknowledging her achievements at a young age and expressing eagerness to continue learning and growing in her 20s.
In another event, Canadian Alexanne Lepage clinched the women’s 200m breaststroke gold, setting a lifetime best time of 2:21.73. She led throughout the race, beating the reigning Olympic and world champion Kate Douglass of the United States, who finished second. Lepage expressed disbelief at her victory.
Canada concluded the championships with a total of 13 medals, including three gold, four silver, and six bronze medals. This medal haul marked Canada’s most successful performance at the Pan Pacific Championships since 1997.
The United States led the overall medal standings with 50 medals, followed by Australia with 35 and Canada.
In other notable results, Australian Sam Short won the men’s 1,500m freestyle, setting a championship record time of 14:33.97. Jamie Jack of Australia clinched the men’s 50m freestyle, also setting a championship record with a time of 21.35.