Summer McIntosh, the current world record-holder in the women’s 400-meter freestyle, did not qualify for the A final at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine, California. Despite initially poised to secure a second-place finish behind Australia’s Lani Pallister in the morning heat, McIntosh was narrowly edged out and placed third, ranking ninth overall with a time of 4 minutes 8.56 seconds, which was 14 seconds slower than her record time. China’s 15-year-old Fan Yaqi clinched the eighth and final spot for the 10:07 p.m. ET final, clocking in at 4:08.36.
The 19-year-old Canadian sensation from Toronto confirmed that she will participate in the B final at 10:01 p.m., alongside her teammate Ella Cosgrove, who secured the 13th position overall. The live stream of the event will be accessible on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem. McIntosh expressed her accountability for the morning heat outcome on Instagram, stating, “I take full responsibility for my misjudgment in this morning’s heats. I will see you all in the B final tonight and thank you for your support.”
Last June, McIntosh set a new record of 3:54.18 at the Canadian swimming trials in Victoria, surpassing the previous record held by the now-retired Ariarne Titmus of Australia. The anticipated A final at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center featured a showdown between American record-holder Katie Ledecky, Pallister, and McIntosh. Ledecky secured the top spot in qualifying with a time of 4:03.48, while Pallister ranked fourth with a time of 4:05.22.
McIntosh’s Pan Pacific debut on Wednesday in the women’s 200 free resulted in a silver medal with a time of 1:53.86, narrowly behind Pallister’s championship record of 1:53.67. She continued her success with two medals on Thursday, breaking the championship record in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:28.01 and also winning bronze in the women’s 200 free relay alongside Mary-Sophie Harvey, Emma O’Croiniin, and Brooklyn Douthwright. McIntosh is scheduled to compete in the 200 IM on Saturday.