Summer McIntosh, the holder of the women’s 400-meter freestyle world record, did not make it to the A final at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine, California. Despite being in a position to finish second in a morning heat behind Australia’s Lani Pallister, McIntosh was narrowly out-touched at the wall, securing the third spot and ranking 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, claimed the final spot for the 10:07 p.m. ET final by clocking 4:08.36.
The 19-year-old Canadian sensation from Toronto expressed her intention to compete in the B final at 10:01 p.m. together with her teammate Ella Cosgrove, who finished 13th overall. The live stream of the event can be accessed on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem.
In a statement on Instagram, McIntosh took full responsibility for her performance in the morning heats and conveyed gratitude for the support received. 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 now-retired Ariarne Titmus of Australia in 2023.
The highly anticipated A final at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center was expected to feature a showdown between American record-holder Katie Ledecky, Pallister, and McIntosh. Ledecky topped the qualifiers with a time of 4:03.48, while Pallister secured the fourth position with a time of 4:05.22.
McIntosh made her debut at the Pan Pacifics by clinching silver in the women’s 200 free on Wednesday and went on to break the championship record in the 400 individual medley on Thursday. She also contributed to winning a bronze medal 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.