Toronto’s Summer McIntosh started her race lineup at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships on Wednesday evening with a runner-up finish outdoors in the women’s 200-meter freestyle in Irvine, California. The 19-year-old, making her debut at the event, finished in 1 minute 53.86 seconds, trailing Australia’s Lani Pallister who set a championship record with 1:53.67. Erika Fairweather from New Zealand secured the third spot with a time of 1:55.05 at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center.
Expressing her thoughts to CBC Sports’ Devin Heroux post-race, McIntosh mentioned, “I don’t believe I started fast enough. My turns weren’t quite right, and I feel I was overanalyzing it instead of just racing. I am confident I can achieve 1:52, but tonight wasn’t my night.”
Although Pallister initially led McIntosh by 4-100ths of a second after the first 50 meters, the Canadian took the lead by 12-100ths at the halfway mark. McIntosh tried to maintain her advantage through 150 meters, but Pallister surged ahead by 9-100ths to claim victory.
McIntosh, who had not competed in the 200 free on the international stage since the 2023 world championships, shared, “Training for the 200 freestyle naturally fit into my weekly training schedule as I primarily focus on the 400 freestyle. It aligns well with my events.”
Opting out of the 200 butterfly event on Wednesday, McIntosh will also participate in the 200 individual medley, 400 free, and 400 IM during the championships. She qualified for the 200 free final with a time of 1:55.85, aiming to achieve a time of 1:52. The current world record of 1:52.23 is held by retired swimmer Titmus since June 12, 2024.
In the men’s 100m backstroke, Blake Tierney from Saskatoon clinched the gold medal with a strong finish in 53.18 seconds, surpassing Will Modglin and Jack Aikins. Tierney, expressing his satisfaction post-victory, mentioned, “Although it’s not a personal best, I am content with my performance. I believe I have the speed and potential for further improvement.”
Taylor Ruck initiated the Canadian medal tally by securing third place in the women’s 50m butterfly final. The Kelowna native set a Canadian record with a time of 25.23 seconds, surpassing her own previous record from the preliminaries. Ruck later added another bronze in the 100m backstroke final.
To conclude the day, the Canadian 4×100 medley relay team comprising Ruck, Ingrid Wilm, Oliver Dawson, and Finlay Knox earned the bronze medal with a final time of 3:43.22. The United States clinched gold in the event with a world-record time of 3:36.70, followed by Australia in second place.