Summer McIntosh clinched her first gold medal at the Pan Pacific swimming competition by outpacing Jenna Forrester of Australia in the women’s 400-meter individual medley in Irvine, California. McIntosh set a championship record time of 4 minutes and 28.01 seconds, leaving Forrester trailing by almost three seconds for the silver medal, while Agostina Hein of Argentina secured bronze with a time of 4:32.54. The previous Pan Pacs record was held by American Elizabeth Beisel since 2014.
In a post-race interview with CBC’s Devin Heroux, McIntosh shared her strategy and reflections on the race. Although she felt she could have done better, she expressed happiness in representing Canada and achieving victory. The Canadian national anthem played after her win, eliciting excitement from the crowd, especially a group of enthusiastic young spectators in the stands.
Later in the evening, McIntosh contributed to Canada’s third-place finish in the women’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay. The Canadian team, led by Mary-Sophie Harvey, posted a time of 7:52.74, securing bronze behind Australia and the United States, who took gold and silver, respectively.
McIntosh highlighted the joy of competing in a relay race, emphasizing the team effort and expressing determination to maintain their podium presence leading up to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The event also saw notable performances from other Canadian swimmers, including Taylor Ruck and Alexanne Lepage, who achieved personal bests and competitive finishes in their respective races.
As the competition unfolded, various international swimmers showcased their talents, with standout performances from athletes like Katie Ledecky of the U.S. and Meg Harris of Australia. The intense competition and record-breaking swims set the stage for an exciting and competitive Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.