Summer McIntosh, the current world record holder in the women’s 400-meter freestyle event, did not make it to the A final at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships held in Irvine, California. During the morning heat, McIntosh was in contention for a second-place finish behind Australia’s Lani Pallister but 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. The eighth and final spot for the 10:07 p.m. ET final was secured by China’s Fan Yaqi, 15, with a time of 4:08.36.
As a result, McIntosh, a 19-year-old Canadian standout from Toronto, expressed her readiness to compete in the B final at 10:01 p.m., alongside her teammate Ella Cosgrove, who finished 13th overall. The live stream of the event can be accessed on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem. McIntosh took to Instagram to acknowledge her misjudgment, taking full responsibility for the morning heat results and thanking her supporters for their encouragement.
Last June, McIntosh set a new record of 3:54.18 at the Canadian swimming trials in Victoria, surpassing the previous record held by the now-retired Ariarne Titmus of Australia. The much-anticipated A final on Friday at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center featured a showdown between American record-holder Katie Ledecky, Lani Pallister, and Summer McIntosh. Ledecky claimed the top spot in the qualifiers with a time of 4:03.48, while Pallister finished fourth with a time of 4:05.22.
McIntosh’s debut at the Pan Pacs included a silver medal in the women’s 200-meter freestyle event, finishing just behind Pallister, who set a championship record with a time of 1:53.67. She continued her success by breaking the championship record in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:28.01 and securing a bronze medal in the women’s 200 freestyle relay alongside her teammates. McIntosh is set to compete in the 200 IM event on Saturday.