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 in Irvine, California. Despite being in a position to secure second place behind Australia’s Lani Pallister in the morning heat, McIntosh finished third, placing ninth overall with a time of 4 minutes 8.56 seconds, which was 14 seconds slower than her record time. China’s Fan Yaqi, aged 15, clinched the final spot for the 10:07 p.m. ET final with a time of 4:08.36.
The talented 19-year-old Canadian swimmer, hailing from Toronto, expressed her disappointment by stating she will participate in the B final at 10:01 p.m. alongside her teammate Ella Cosgrove, who finished 13th overall. The live stream of the event can be accessed on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem.
Taking responsibility for her performance, McIntosh took to Instagram, acknowledging her misjudgment in the morning heats and thanking her supporters. Following her victory in the women’s 400-meter individual medley the previous day, McIntosh narrowly missed the A final in the 400-meter freestyle event.
In a remarkable 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 Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus in 2023. The highly anticipated A final at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center featured a showdown between American record-holder Katie Ledecky, Pallister, and McIntosh, with Ledecky leading the qualifiers in 4:03.48 and Pallister securing the fourth spot with a time of 4:05.22.
McIntosh debuted at the Pan Pacs with a silver medal in the women’s 200-meter freestyle, finishing just behind Pallister. She continued her success by setting a championship record in the 400-meter individual medley and also contributed to a bronze medal win in the women’s 200-meter freestyle relay. Up next, McIntosh is set to compete in the 200-meter individual medley on Saturday.
