Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh narrowly missed out on the gold medal by 0.02 seconds in the women’s 200-meter individual medley at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. The 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 on the butterfly leg, briefly setting a world-record pace, before Regan Smith of the USA took the lead on the backstroke. Yu regained the lead on the breaststroke and managed to hold off McIntosh in the final meters.
This marks McIntosh’s third individual medal at the championship, having previously won gold in the 400m medley and silver in the 200m freestyle, in addition to helping Canada secure bronze in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
Reflecting on the race, McIntosh expressed satisfaction with her performance but acknowledged the need for improvement in future competitions. The 19-year-old, who holds the world record in the event, shared her aspirations to continue learning and growing as she enters her twenties.
In another event, Canadian Alexanne Lepage surprised by winning the women’s 200m breaststroke, setting a lifetime best of 2:21.73. Lepage led the race from start to finish, beating reigning Olympic champion Kate Douglass of the United States, who finished second. South Africa’s Kaylene Corbett took third place.
Canada concluded the championship with a total of 13 medals – three gold, four silver, and six bronze – making it their most successful performance at the Pan Pacific Championships since 1997. The United States topped the overall medal standings with 50 medals, followed by Australia with 35 and Canada with 13.