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. During the morning heat, McIntosh narrowly missed securing a second-place finish to Australia’s Lani Pallister, settling for third place 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, secured the eighth and final spot for the 10:07 p.m. ET final with a time of 4:08.36.
Despite missing the A final, the 19-year-old Canadian swimmer from Toronto, Summer McIntosh, expressed her intention to compete in the B final at 10:01 p.m. alongside her teammate Ella Cosgrove, who finished 13th overall. The event will be live-streamed on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem.
Taking full responsibility for her performance, McIntosh acknowledged her misjudgment in the morning heats in a post on Instagram, thanking her supporters and confirming her participation in the B final later in the evening.
In June, McIntosh set a new record of 3:54.18 at the Canadian swimming trials, surpassing the previous record held by the retired Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus. The anticipated A final at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center was expected to feature a showdown between American record-holder Katie Ledecky, Lani Pallister, and Summer McIntosh, with Ledecky leading the qualifiers with a time of 4:03.48, while Pallister secured the fourth spot with a time of 4:05.22.
McIntosh made her debut at the Pan Pacific Championships by winning silver in the women’s 200-meter freestyle event and followed up with record-breaking performances in the 400-meter individual medley, clinching a gold medal, and a bronze in the women’s 200-meter freestyle relay with her teammates. She is set to compete in the 200 IM event on Saturday.