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. American Alex Walsh claimed the bronze in 2:07.66.
Yu started strong with a record-setting pace in the butterfly leg, but American Regan Smith briefly took the lead in the backstroke. Yu regained the lead in the breaststroke and managed to hold off McIntosh in the final stretch.
This event marked McIntosh’s third individual medal at the championships, having previously won 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.
After the race, McIntosh expressed her disappointment, stating, “That was probably one of my better swims of the meet, but overall this meet didn’t go the way I wanted it to. So there will definitely be a lot of reflection and focus on how I can be better next season.” McIntosh holds the world record in the event with a time of 2:05.70 set at the 2025 Canadian trials.
In another event, Canadian Alexanne Lepage clinched gold in the women’s 200m breaststroke, surpassing reigning champion Kate Douglass of the United States. Lepage led the race from start to finish, setting a personal best time of 2:21.73. Douglass finished in second place with a time of 2:22.57.
With a total of 13 medals (three gold, four silver, six bronze), Canada achieved its most successful performance at the Pan Pacific Championships since 1997. The U.S. topped the medal standings with 50 medals, followed by Australia with 35 and Canada with 13.
Moreover, Australian swimmer Lani Pallister caused a major upset by defeating Katie Ledecky in the 800m freestyle, marking Ledecky’s first international loss in the event. Pallister set a new championship record with a time of 8:06.10, while Ledecky took silver with a time of 8:07.26.
The championships also witnessed outstanding performances by other swimmers, including Sam Short of Australia winning the men’s 1,500m freestyle and Jamie Jack of Australia setting a championship record in the men’s 50m freestyle.
Overall, the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships showcased thrilling races and remarkable achievements by swimmers from around the world.