Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh narrowly missed the gold medal in the women’s 200-meter individual medley at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships by just 0.02 seconds. Despite her impressive performance, she settled for silver behind China’s Yu Yiting, who set a championship record with a time of 2:07.45. The American Alex Walsh claimed the bronze with a time of 2:07.66.
Yu started strong on the butterfly leg, nearly breaking the world record pace, but American Regan Smith took the lead during the backstroke. Yu regained the lead on the breaststroke leg and managed to hold off McIntosh in the final stretch. McIntosh, who hails from Toronto, also won gold in the 400m medley and silver in the 200m freestyle. She contributed to Canada’s bronze in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
After the race, McIntosh expressed her disappointment at not achieving her desired outcomes and emphasized the need for reflection and improvement for the upcoming season. The 19-year-old swimmer currently holds the world record in the 200m individual medley, set during the 2025 Canadian trials.
In another event, Canadian Alexanne Lepage secured a surprising victory in the women’s 200m breaststroke, outperforming reigning Olympic champion Kate Douglass from the United States. Lepage clocked a lifetime best of 2:21.73, leaving Douglass in second place with a time of 2:22.57. South Africa’s Kaylene Corbett claimed the third spot.
With a total of 13 medals (three gold, four silver, six bronze), Canada had its most successful performance at the Pan Pacific Championships since 1997. The U.S. led the overall medal standings with 50 medals, followed by Australia with 35 and Canada in third place.
Additionally, Taylor Ruck set a new Canadian record in the women’s 50m freestyle with a time of 24.23, finishing fourth in a fiercely competitive field. Kate Douglass set a world record of 23.19 in the same event. This achievement marked Douglass’s second world record of the day, having already broken the record in the morning preliminaries.
Australian swimmer Lani Pallister caused a major upset by defeating Katie Ledecky in the women’s 800m freestyle, marking Ledecky’s first international loss in the event. Pallister finished with a time of 8:06.10, erasing Ledecky’s previous championship record.
The Pan Pacific Swimming Championships saw several outstanding performances, 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. The event showcased exceptional talent and competitive spirit among the world’s top swimmers.