The Pan Pacific Championships are underway in Irvine, California, running from Wednesday through Saturday. This event is considered the biggest international meet of 2026 for U.S. swimmers and a significant competition for athletes like Summer McIntosh of Canada. The championships are being broadcast live on Peacock and NBCSN.
McIntosh, a 19-year-old swimmer, has set a goal of achieving personal best times at the Pan Pacific Championships. For her, this often translates into setting new world records. She is scheduled to compete in four races: the 200m freestyle on Wednesday, the 400m individual medley on Thursday, the 400m freestyle on Friday, and the 200m individual medley on Saturday.
The 400m freestyle event on Friday is highly anticipated, as it is expected to feature McIntosh, who holds the world record in the 400m individual medley, 400m freestyle, and 200m individual medley. She is also noted as the fastest swimmer in history in the 200m butterfly, an event she opted not to include in her Pan Pacs schedule. McIntosh will face Katie Ledecky and Lani Pallister in the 400m freestyle. Ledecky, who has competed in major international meets since the 2012 London Olympics, will be participating in a high-level meet in the U.S. for the first time.
McIntosh expressed particular excitement for the 200m freestyle, an event she has not raced internationally in a considerable amount of time. Her personal best in this event, a 1:53.65, was set at the 2023 World Championships, where she earned a bronze medal. She ranks as the joint-fifth-fastest woman in history for this race.
Since last summer’s World Championships, McIntosh has been training with coach Bob Bowman, focusing more on the 200m freestyle. Bowman, who has coached notable swimmers including Michael Phelps, is working to understand McIntosh’s reactions at major meets. He noted her serious approach to training, comparing it to Phelps’s all-business mental attitude.
McIntosh’s mother competed in the 1984 LA Games in the 200m butterfly, which is McIntosh’s preferred event. The 2028 Olympic schedule presents a challenge, as the 800m freestyle and 200m butterfly finals are scheduled for the same session. Bowman indicated it would not be realistic for McIntosh to compete in both events at the 2028 Olympics. McIntosh mentioned she is keeping her options open for the 2028 Games, considering there are six or seven events she could potentially participate in.
The Pan Pacific Championships serve as an important data point for McIntosh and Bowman, marking the first major meet where she is tapering under his guidance. McIntosh is surrounded by a strong training group in Austin, which includes Olympic gold medalists Leon Marchand, Regan Smith, Simone Manuel, and Hubert Kos, along with other top American swimmers like Shaine Casas, Carson Foster, and Luke Hobson.
The competition also features other anticipated matchups, including Bobby Finke, an Olympic gold medalist in the 800m and 1500m frees, who could compete against Sam Short of Australia in the 800m on Wednesday and 1500m on Saturday. In the women’s 50m free on Saturday, Gretchen Walsh and Kate Douglass, two of the fastest women in history, are expected to race each other.
The SoFi Stadium, home to the Rams and Chargers, is set to host Olympic swimming in 2028, becoming the first NFL stadium to do so. McIntosh visited the stadium and expressed excitement about the prospect of competing there in two years.
The Pan Pacific Championships continue through Saturday.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
