Latest news with #PanPacs
Sydney Morning Herald
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Summer bummer: McIntosh to skip Commonwealth Games
Singapore: The Commonwealth Games' battle for relevance has taken a hit, with Canadian swimming sensation Summer McIntosh set to skip next year's event. The 18-year-old, widely regarded as the best female swimmer on the planet, claimed another gold medal at the world championships in Singapore on Thursday night, powering to victory in the 200m butterfly ahead of Australia's Lizzy Dekkers, who took bronze. McIntosh's star power is undeniable, but a scheduling clash appears set to rob the 2026 Games of one of its biggest drawcards – unless there's a last-minute change of heart or a campaign to lure her back. Three well-placed swimming sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue, told this masthead McIntosh will not represent Canada at the Games, which run from July 23 to August 2 in Glasgow. The primary reason is that McIntosh is putting her focus on the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships (Pan Pacs), which start on August 12 in Irvine, California. The Pan Pacs, last held in 2018 in Tokyo, feature powerhouse nations such as Australia, Canada, the United States, Japan and Brazil. It is a major meet for non-European countries outside the world championships and Olympics. Canada is still expected to send a reasonably strong team to the Commonwealth Games, but McIntosh's absence will make it harder for organisers to attract the casual sports fan hoping to catch a glimpse of a teenager who already has four Olympic medals to her name. McIntosh is aiming to emulate Michael Phelps as the only swimmer in more than half a century of world championship history to win five individual gold medals at a single meet.
The Age
01-08-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Commonwealth Games 2026: Summer McIntosh set to skip Glasgow event to focus on Pan Pacific Championships
She is the world record holder in three events – the 400m freestyle, 200m individual medley and 400m individual medley. At just 15, McIntosh claimed gold in the 200m and 400m individual medleys at the 2022 Birmingham Games, and took silver behind Ariarne Titmus in the 400m freestyle. Summer McIntosh, Ariarne Titmus and Kiah Melverton receive their medals after the women's 400m final at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Credit: AP A rematch between the two – following Titmus' victories at the 2023 world titles and 2024 Paris Olympics – may have to wait until the Pan Pacs. Even then, Titmus is no certainty to compete. 'I don't think I'll be back to where I was until 2027 worlds in terms of being at my best,' Titmus told this masthead in May. 'That was the decision I was willing to make with where I'm at in my career. I know that I won't be at my best next year, but I should be on the build-up in 2027 into LA.' Channel Seven has secured broadcast rights for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, while Channel Nine, publisher of this masthead, holds exclusive rights to the next four Olympic Games – summer and winter – through to Brisbane 2032. Glasgow will host a streamlined 2026 Commonwealth Games featuring just 10 sports, after stepping in to replace Victoria as host. The sporting program includes athletics, swimming, 3x3 basketball, track cycling, weightlifting, lawn bowls, artistic gymnastics, netball, boxing and judo. Para variants of the first five sports will also be included. It marks a significant reduction from Birmingham 2022, which staged 20 sports. Notable omissions from the Glasgow schedule include hockey, cricket, badminton, wrestling, table tennis, diving, rugby sevens, beach volleyball, mountain biking, squash and rhythmic gymnastics.
Sydney Morning Herald
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
The one thing that could stand in the way of another McEvoy world title
Australia's quest for world swimming supremacy this year is looking shakier by the day, with Olympic champion Cameron McEvoy admitting he may not compete in the upcoming world championships in Singapore. Two years ago, Australia topped the medal tally at the world championships in Fukuoka, beating the USA for the first time in a major meeting since 2001. The USA picked up one more gold medal than Australia at last year's Paris Olympics but the margin could be even greater in Singapore, with Australia already missing superstar Ariarne Titmus, who won't return to competitive swimming until next year. McEvoy, who won gold in the 50m freestyle at the 2023 world championships, is expecting the birth of his first child with wife Maddie just before next month's world championships. The 31-year-old will race at this week's Australians swimming trials in Adelaide but his availability for Singapore is under a cloud. McEvoy is expected to miss Australia's staging camp in Darwin ahead of the world championships, which begin on July 27 and run for eight days. 'He's due [to be born] between trials and worlds. Worlds at the moment is up in the air,' McEvoy said. 'I've got trials down as a target comp. After that, who knows? 'I'm not making any decision around what happens. I'll get through the birth and just see how we're going and make a decision. It'll just be monitoring it with the doctors and getting their advice and how Maddie is going as well.' McEvoy has also revealed he is likely to have a lighter year in 2026 - potentially sitting out the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and Pan Pacs in California - before building back up ahead of the LA 2028 Olympics.
