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. 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 in Irvine, Calif.
Alex Walsh of the United States took the bronze in 2:07.66. Yu started strong, being under world-record pace in the butterfly leg, but McIntosh fought back and briefly led on the backstroke. However, Yu regained the lead on the breaststroke and managed to hold off McIntosh to claim the victory.
This marks McIntosh’s third individual medal at the championships, following her 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.
In a post-race interview with CBC Sports’ Devin Heroux, McIntosh expressed her disappointment with the overall performance of the meet and highlighted the need for reflection and improvement in the upcoming season. Notably, McIntosh holds the world record in the event with a time of 2:05.70 set at the 2025 Canadian trials.
In another event, fellow Canadian Alexanne Lepage clinched the gold in the women’s 200m breaststroke by posting a lifetime best time of 2:21.73. Lepage led the entire race and outpaced the reigning Olympic and world champion, Kate Douglass of the United States, who settled for silver.
Canada concluded the championships with a total of 13 medals, including three gold, four silver, and six bronze medals, marking their most successful performance since the 1997 edition in Fukuoka, Japan. The United States led the overall medal standings with 50 medals, followed by Australia with 35 and Canada.
In other notable results, Australian swimmer Sam Short secured victory in the men’s 1,500m freestyle, setting a championship record with a time of 14:33.97. Additionally, Jamie Jack of Australia triumphed in the men’s 50m freestyle, breaking the championship record with a time of 21.35.
The championships also witnessed a historic moment as Australian Lani Pallister defeated Katie Ledecky in the women’s 800m freestyle, marking Ledecky’s first international loss in the event. Pallister finished with a time of 8:06.10, erasing Ledecky’s previous championship record.
The competition showcased remarkable performances and highlighted the talent and determination of the athletes on the international swimming stage.
