Summer McIntosh, the holder of the women’s 400-meter freestyle world record, did not qualify for the A final at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine, California. Despite being in a position to finish second behind Australia’s Lani Pallister in a morning heat, McIntosh narrowly missed it and ended up in third place, ranking ninth overall with a time of 4 minutes 8.56 seconds, which was 14 seconds slower than her record time. China’s Fan Yaqi, a 15-year-old, secured the last spot in the 10:07 p.m. ET final with a time of 4:08.36.
The 19-year-old Canadian standout, hailing from Toronto, mentioned that she and her teammate Ella Cosgrove, who placed 13th overall, will compete in the B final at 10:01 p.m. The live stream of the event will be accessible on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem. McIntosh took responsibility for her performance in the morning heats, expressing her gratitude for the support she has received.
In June, McIntosh set a new record of 3:54.18 at the Canadian swimming trials in Victoria, surpassing the previous mark set by retired Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus in 2023. The highly anticipated A final at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center was expected to be a fierce competition between American record-holder Katie Ledecky, Pallister, and McIntosh. Ledecky topped the qualifying round with a time of 4:03.48, while Pallister secured the fourth spot with a time of 4:05.22.
McIntosh’s debut at the Pan Pacifics on Wednesday saw her winning silver in the women’s 200 free, finishing just under two-tenths behind Pallister. She continued her success by breaking the championship record in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:28.01 the following day. Additionally, she claimed a bronze medal in the women’s 200 free relay alongside her teammates. McIntosh is set to compete in the 200 IM on Saturday.
For more details, you can watch McIntosh’s journey at the Pan Pacifics on CBC Sports.
