Toronto’s Summer McIntosh kicked off her Pan Pacific Swimming Championships debut with a second-place finish in the women’s 200-metre freestyle in Irvine, Calif. The 19-year-old touched the wall in 1:53.86, just behind Australia’s Lani Pallister who set a new 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 some disappointment, stating that she believed she could have performed better. She acknowledged the need to improve her performance for future events, especially aiming for success at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
During the race, Pallister initially led McIntosh by a slight margin, but McIntosh managed to take the lead at the 100-metre mark before Pallister reclaimed it towards the end of the race.
McIntosh had not competed in the 200 freestyle on the international stage since the 2023 world championships. She mentioned that training for the 200 freestyle aligns well with her usual training routine as a 400 freestyler.
In addition to the 200 freestyle, McIntosh is set to compete in the 200 individual medley, 400 free, and 400 IM at the championships. She qualified for the 200 free final with a time of 1:55.85.
Meanwhile, in the men’s 100m backstroke, Blake Tierney of Saskatoon secured the gold with a time of 53.18 seconds, outpacing his competitors Will Modglin and Jack Aikins.
Taylor Ruck contributed to Canada’s medal tally with a bronze in the women’s 50m butterfly final and another bronze in the 100m backstroke final. Ruck set a new Canadian record in the 50m butterfly event.
To conclude the day, the Canadian 4×100 medley relay team, consisting of Ruck, Ingrid Wilm, Oliver Dawson, and Finlay Knox, clinched the bronze medal with a final time of 3:43.22.