Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh clinched her first gold medal at the Pan Pacific swimming competition, setting a championship record in the women’s 400-meter individual medley by beating Australia’s Jenna Forrester in Irvine, California. McIntosh completed the butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle in a swift time of four minutes, 28.01 seconds. This victory surpassed the previous Pan Pacs record set by American Elizabeth Beisel in 2014.
After the race, McIntosh expressed her satisfaction with the win for Canada, despite feeling she could have done even better. The crowd, especially a group of enthusiastic youngsters, cheered loudly during the Canadian national anthem, bringing additional excitement to the event. McIntosh also contributed to Canada’s bronze medal in the women’s 4×200 freestyle relay by delivering a strong performance in two legs.
In the men’s 400 IM, Tristan Jankovics and Lorne Wigginton of Canada finished 7th and 8th, respectively, with Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita claiming the gold and setting a new championship record. Taylor Ruck secured a fifth-place finish in the women’s 100 free event.
Australia’s Meg Harris won the women’s 100 free, edging out American Gretchen Walsh, while McIntosh grabbed three bronze medals in the women’s 50 butterfly, 100 backstroke, and the 100 medley relay. The competition also saw impressive performances from Canadian swimmers Alexanne Lepage and Sophie Angus in the women’s 100 breaststroke.
Overall, McIntosh’s remarkable achievements and the strong showing of Canadian swimmers added to the excitement and success of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine, California.