Summer McIntosh, the current world record-holder in the women’s 400-meter freestyle event, fell short of qualifying for the A final at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine, California. During the morning heat, McIntosh was in contention to secure the second position behind Australia’s Lani Pallister but was narrowly out-touched to finish in third place, ranking ninth overall with a time of 4 minutes and 8.56 seconds, which was 14 seconds slower than her record time. China’s Fan Yaqi, a 15-year-old competitor, secured the final spot for the A final with a time of 4:08.36.
Following this outcome, the 19-year-old Canadian sensation from Toronto announced that she would participate in the B final at 10:01 p.m. alongside her teammate Ella Cosgrove, who placed 13th overall. The B final can be streamed live on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem.
Expressing accountability for her performance, McIntosh took to Instagram, stating, “I take full responsibility for my misjudgment in this morning’s heats. I will see you all in the B final tonight and thank you for your support.”
Notably, McIntosh had set a new record of 3:54.18 last June at the Canadian swimming trials in Victoria, surpassing the previous record held by the retired Ariarne Titmus of Australia. The much-anticipated A final at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center featured a showdown between American record-holder Katie Ledecky, Lani Pallister, and Summer McIntosh. Ledecky topped the qualifying round with a time of 4:03.48, while Pallister secured the fourth position with a time of 4:05.22.
Earlier in the competition, McIntosh made her Pan Pacs debut in the women’s 200-meter freestyle, clinching the silver medal with a time of 1:53.86, closely trailing Pallister, who set a championship record of 1:53.67. Subsequently, McIntosh achieved success by breaking the championship record in the 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4:28.01. Additionally, she contributed to the bronze medal win in the women’s 200-meter freestyle relay alongside Mary-Sophie Harvey, Emma O’Croiniin, and Brooklyn Douthwright.
Looking ahead, McIntosh is set to compete in the 200-meter individual medley event on Saturday.