Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh narrowly missed out on the gold medal by 0.02 seconds in the women’s 200-metre individual medley at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. The Toronto native, who is the reigning 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 in 2:07.66.
Yu started strong, pacing ahead of the world record on 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 meters. This marks McIntosh’s third individual medal of the championship, having won gold in the 400m medley and silver in the 200m freestyle, in addition to helping Canada secure bronze in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
Reflecting on her performance, McIntosh expressed that while it was one of her better swims, the overall meet did not go as planned. She acknowledged the need for reflection and improvement for the upcoming season. The 19-year-old, who holds the world record for the event, looks forward to further growth and learning as she transitions into her 20s.
In another event, Canadian swimmer Alexanne Lepage clinched the gold in the women’s 200m breaststroke, outpacing the reigning Olympic and world champion Kate Douglass of the U.S. Lepage set a personal best time of 2:21.73, with Douglass finishing second in 2:22.57. South Africa’s Kaylene Corbett secured the third spot in 2:22.97.
With a total of 13 medals (three gold, four silver, six bronze), Canada had its most successful Pan Pacific Championships since 1997. The U.S. topped the medal standings with 50 medals, followed by Australia with 35 and Canada in the third position.