Summer McIntosh, the current world record-holder in the women’s 400-meter freestyle event, fell short of qualifying for the A final at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships held in Irvine, California. During the morning heat, McIntosh was on track to secure the second position behind Australia’s Lani Pallister but was narrowly out-touched at the wall, finishing third and ninth overall with a time of 4:08.56, which was 14 seconds slower than her record-breaking time. Fan Yaqi from China, aged 15, clinched the eighth spot for the upcoming final at 10:07 p.m. ET with a time of 4:08.36.
The 19-year-old Canadian standout, hailing from Toronto, expressed her regret for misjudging the morning heat on Instagram, taking full responsibility for the outcome. McIntosh and her teammate Ella Cosgrove, who placed 13th overall, will both participate in the B final scheduled for 10:01 p.m. The live stream of the event can be accessed on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem.
In a recent achievement last June, McIntosh set a new record of 3:54.18 at the Canadian swimming trials in Victoria, surpassing the previous record set by the retired Ariarne Titmus of Australia at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. The highly anticipated A final at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center was expected to showcase a fierce competition among American record-holder Katie Ledecky, Pallister, and McIntosh. Ledecky secured the top spot in the qualifying rounds with a time of 4:03.48, while Pallister finished fourth with a time of 4:05.22.
During her debut at the Pan Pacific Championships, McIntosh claimed a silver medal in the women’s 200 free, closely trailing Pallister who set a championship record. She continued her successful streak by setting a new championship record in the 400 individual medley and also contributed to winning a bronze medal in the women’s 200 free relay alongside her teammates.
McIntosh is scheduled to compete in the 200 IM event on Saturday, aiming to maintain her impressive performance at the championships.