Toronto’s Summer McIntosh made her debut at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine, California, by securing second place in the women’s 200-meter freestyle. The 19-year-old finished in 1 minute 53.86 seconds, coming in just under two-tenths behind Australia’s Lani Pallister, who set a championship record of 1:53.67. Erika Fairweather from New Zealand claimed the third spot with a time of 1:55.05 at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center.
After the race, McIntosh expressed some self-criticism, stating that she believes she could have performed better. She mentioned that she didn’t start fast enough, had issues with her turns, and was possibly overthinking instead of just focusing on racing. Despite the disappointment, she sees this as a learning opportunity to work towards her goal of winning at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Pallister initially led McIntosh by a small margin after the first 50 meters, but McIntosh took the lead by the 100-meter mark and held it until Pallister surged ahead in the final stretch.
McIntosh, primarily a 400 freestyler, mentioned that training for the 200 freestyle naturally fits into her routine and complements her other events. She had not competed in the 200 free internationally since the 2023 world championships. McIntosh also qualified for the 200 free final with a time of 1:55.85, aiming to beat the world record of 1:52.23 set by Titmus in 2024.
Additionally, McIntosh holds multiple world records in long-course events and has been focusing on recovery and preparation leading up to the Pan Pacific Championships. In other events, Canadian swimmer Blake Tierney clinched gold in the men’s 100m backstroke, while Taylor Ruck secured bronze in the women’s 50m butterfly and 100m backstroke finals. The Canadian team also won bronze in the 4×100 medley relay event to round off the successful evening.