Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh narrowly missed out on the gold medal by just 0.02 seconds in the women’s 200-meter individual medley at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. 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 with a time of 2:07.66.
Yu started strong, being under world-record pace in the butterfly leg, but it was American Regan Smith who briefly took the lead during the backstroke. However, Yu regained the lead in the breaststroke leg and managed to hold off McIntosh in the final meters.
This event marked McIntosh’s third individual medal in the competition, adding to her 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.
Reflecting on her performance, McIntosh acknowledged it was one of her better swims but expressed disappointment in the overall outcome of the meet. She emphasized the need for reflection and improvement for the upcoming season.
At just 19 years old, McIntosh competed in her final individual race as a teenager, expressing gratitude for her accomplishments at a young age and looking forward to further growth in her twenties.
In another thrilling race, Canadian Alexanne Lepage secured gold in the women’s 200m breaststroke, surpassing the reigning Olympic and world champion Kate Douglass. Lepage’s lifetime best time of 2:21.73 led her to victory, leaving Douglass to settle for silver with a time of 2:22.57. South Africa’s Kaylene Corbett claimed the bronze in 2:22.97.
Canada had a successful outing at the championships, finishing with a total of 13 medals, including three gold, four silver, and six bronze. This marked Canada’s most successful performance at the Pan Pacific Championships since 1997, with the U.S. leading the medal standings, followed by Australia and Canada.