Summer McIntosh clinched a gold medal on Thursday evening, marking her maiden triumph at the Pan Pacific swimming event by outperforming Australia’s Jenna Forrester in the women’s 400-meter individual medley in Irvine, California. The Toronto native, initially on track to break her world record from the previous year, completed the butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle in a time of four minutes and 28.01 seconds, setting a new championship record. Forrester secured the silver medal, finishing nearly three seconds behind at 4:31.50, while Agostina Hein from Argentina claimed the bronze with a time of 4:32.54. Elizabeth Beisel of the United States had held the previous Pan Pacs record since 2014 with a time of 4:31.99.
Following the race, McIntosh shared with CBC’s Devin Heroux that while she felt her butterfly stroke was smooth and controlled in the morning heats, she aimed to replicate that performance in the final. Reflecting on her race, McIntosh acknowledged a learning experience and expressed satisfaction with winning gold for Canada despite feeling capable of more. The crowd, particularly a group of enthusiastic youths, erupted with excitement during the Canadian national anthem, a moment that McIntosh found endearing and inspiring.
In a subsequent relay race, McIntosh contributed significantly to Canada’s success by securing the team’s third-place finish in the women’s 4×200 freestyle relay. Her strong performance in the first two legs set the stage for Emma O’Croinin and anchor Brooklyn Douthwright to secure the bronze medal for the Canadian team with a time of 7:52.74, behind Australia and the United States. McIntosh’s focus remained on sustaining this success and aiming for further achievements leading up to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The evening also saw Tristan Jankovics and Lorne Wigginton of Canada finishing seventh and eighth, respectively, in the men’s 400 IM event. Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita set a new championship record with a winning time of 4:06.75, surpassing Ryan Lochte’s previous record. Taylor Ruck from Kelowna, B.C., secured a fifth-place finish in the women’s 100 free event.
Additionally, Alexanne Lepage, representing the University of Calgary, achieved a personal best time of 1:05.94 in the women’s 100 breaststroke, coming close to Annamay Pierse’s Canadian record. Sophie Angus, also from Canada, finished seventh in the same event. McKenzie Siroky of the U.S. emerged victorious in the women’s 100 breaststroke.
Various other Canadian swimmers also competed, with notable performances including Ingrid Wilm finishing fifth in the women’s 50m backstroke and Oliver Dawson placing sixth in the men’s 100 breaststroke. The Canadian relay teams showcased their talent, with Canada placing fourth in the men’s 200m freestyle relay and sixth in the second men’s 200 free relay.
