Summer McIntosh secured her first-ever gold medal at the Pan Pacific swimming competition on Thursday night in Irvine, California. She clinched victory in the women’s 400-meter individual medley, setting a championship record by defeating Australia’s Jenna Forrester. McIntosh completed the butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle in a time of four minutes and 28.01 seconds. Forrester took the silver, finishing nearly three seconds behind in 4:31.50, while Agostina Hein from Argentina claimed the bronze in 4:32.54.
McIntosh expressed her thoughts on her performance, mentioning that while her butterfly felt controlled in the heats, she faced challenges in the latter part of the race. Despite feeling she could have done better, McIntosh was pleased to represent Canada and emerge victorious.
Following her individual win, McIntosh contributed to Canada’s success in the women’s 4×200 freestyle relay, securing a bronze medal. The Canadian team, including Mary-Sophie Harvey, Emma O’Croinin, and Brooklyn Douthwright, finished with a time of 7:52.74. Australia set a new championship record with a time of 7:42.40, while the United States claimed silver with 7:43.10.
In other events, Tristan Jankovics and Lorne Wigginton represented Canada in the men’s 400 IM, finishing in 7th and 8th place respectively. Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita set a new championship record with a time of 4:06.75. Taylor Ruck from Kelowna, B.C., secured fifth place in the women’s 100 free.
Furthermore, Alexanne Lepage from the University of Calgary achieved a personal best in the women’s 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:05.94. Sophie Angus, also from Canada, finished seventh in the same race. McKenzie Siroky of the U.S. claimed victory in the event.
Several other Canadian athletes, including Ingrid Wilm, Oliver Dawson, Javier Acevedo, and relay teams, also competed in various events at the Pan Pacific Championships, showcasing their talent on the international stage.