Toronto’s Summer McIntosh commenced her competition at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships by securing second place in the women’s 200-meter freestyle in Irvine, Calif. The 19-year-old finished in 1:53.86, trailing Australia’s Lani Pallister, who set a championship record with a time of 1:53.67. Erika Fairweather of New Zealand took third place with a time of 1:55.05. After the race, McIntosh expressed disappointment in her performance, mentioning that she believes she can achieve a time of 1:52 but acknowledged that this particular event wasn’t her night.
McIntosh, who hadn’t competed in the 200 free internationally since the 2023 world championships, also shared that training for the 200 freestyle aligns well with her routine as a 400 freestyler. She mentioned her upcoming races in the 200 individual medley, 400 free, and 400 IM at the event in Irvine. In another event, Saskatoon’s Blake Tierney claimed gold in the men’s 100m backstroke with a time of 53.18 seconds, marking his first international gold medal.
Moreover, Taylor Ruck set a Canadian record and won bronze in the women’s 50m butterfly final, followed by another bronze in the 100m backstroke final. Additionally, the Canadian team, consisting of Ruck, Ingrid Wilm, Oliver Dawson, and Finlay Knox, secured bronze in the 4×100 medley relay. The United States clinched gold in the event with a world-record time, while Australia took silver. The Canadian relay team finished with a time of 3:43.22.