Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh narrowly missed out on a gold medal in the women’s 200-metre individual medley at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. She was edged out by China’s Yu Yiting by a mere 0.02 seconds, settling for silver. Yu set a championship record with a time of 2:07.45, with American Alex Walsh taking the bronze in 2:07.66.
During the race, Yu started strong, being under world-record pace in 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 stretch. This marked McIntosh’s third individual medal at the event, having previously 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, she aimed to improve for the upcoming season. The 19-year-old, who currently holds the world record in the event from the 2025 Canadian trials, shared her intentions to continue learning and growing as she transitions into her 20s.
In another event, fellow Canadian Alexanne Lepage clinched gold in the women’s 200m breaststroke, surpassing reigning Olympic and world champion Kate Douglass of the U.S. Lepage led the race from start to finish, achieving a lifetime best time of 2:21.73. Douglass finished second, with South Africa’s Kaylene Corbett claiming the third spot.
Canada concluded the championships with a total of 13 medals, including three gold, four silver, and six bronze. This marked Canada’s highest medal count at the Pan Pacific Championships since 1997. The U.S. topped the overall medal standings with 50 medals, followed by Australia with 35 and Canada in third place.
In other notable results, Taylor Ruck of Canada set a new national record in the women’s 50m freestyle, finishing fourth in a highly competitive final. Ruck expressed her satisfaction with her performance, highlighting the payoff of her hard work throughout the year.
On the men’s side, Sam Short of Australia secured victory in the men’s 1,500 free, adding to his earlier wins in the 400 and 800 free events. Short’s impressive time of 14:33.97 was the sixth-fastest in history and broke a 24-year-old championship record held by Grant Hackett.
Overall, the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships showcased exceptional performances from athletes across various events, with records broken and new champions crowned.
