Summer McIntosh second to Australian swimmer Lani Pallister in women's 200m freestyle in California

Toronto's Summer McIntosh opened her race schedule at the Pan Pacific swimming championships Wednesday night with a second-place finish in the women's 200-metre freestyle in Irvine, Calif.

The 19-year-old, competing at the event for the first time, touched the wall in one minute 53.86 seconds, nearly 2-10ths behind Australia's Lani Pallister, who clocked a championship record 1:53.67. Erika Fairweather of New Zealand was third, covering four lengths of the pool at William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in 1:55.05.

Before Wednesday, McIntosh hadn't raced the 200 free on the international stage since the 2023 world championships.

"Training for 200 freestyle kind of naturally worked into my training schedule on a weekly basis because I'm a 400 freestyler," she told CBC Sports' Devin Heroux this week. "It just kind of matches with events perfectly, to be honest."

Summer McIntosh wins silver in women’s 200m freestyle at Pan Pacs

McIntosh, who opted not to race the 200 butterfly on Wednesday, will also swim the 200 individual medley, 400 free and 400 IM in Irvine.

She qualified for the 200 free final in 1:55.85 after mentioning this week she would like to stop the clock in 1:52. The retired Ariarne Titmus has held the world record of 1:52.23 since the Australian Olympics trials on June 12, 2024.

McIntosh holds four individual long-course (50m pool) world marks in the 200 butterfly, 200 IM, 400 free and 400 IM.

At the beginning of July, she took down the longest-standing women's world record at the Canadian trials in the 200 fly, dating to 2009. A day after that momentous swim, McIntosh pulled out of the trials due to illness.

She has spent the past few weeks recovering and building toward Pan Pacs and says she's in full health.