2026 Canadian Swimming Trials
- July 5-9, 2026
- Montreal, Canada — Montreal Olympic Pool
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Just over 40 hours after breaking the oldest female world record on the books, Summer McIntosh is dropping out of the rest of the Canadian Swimming Trials due to illness.
The 19-year-old posted a statement on her Instagram Story on Tuesday, announcing her withdrawal from the remainder of the meet after beginning to feel ill on Monday morning.
McIntosh’s Statement
I’m so sorry, but on the advice of my doctors and coach, I’ve made the difficult decision to scratch from my remaining events at the 2026 Canadian Trials.
I started feeling ill yesterday morning, and while I hoped I’d be able to keep racing, this is the right decision.
There is so much magic in this pool, and I’m incredibly grateful I got to experience it. I’m so disappointed that I can’t continue racing in front of these amazing crowds, but my focus now is on getting healthy so I can be ready to represent Canada at the Pan Pacific Championships.
Thank you for all the love and support this week. I’m so sorry our time together was cut short, and thank you for cheering me and all of the athletes on. Best of luck to everyone for the rest of the competition.
– Summer
McIntosh opened the competition with a bang on Sunday, putting up a time of 2:01.65 in the final of the women’s 200 fly to lower Liu Zige‘s vaunted super-suited world record of 2:01.81 set in 2009. The record had stood as the oldest female record on the books and was one McIntosh had expressed desire to break, especially last year, when she came agonizingly close at the Canadian Trials (2:02.26) and then at the World Championships (2:01.99).
McIntosh followed up by winning the 400 IM last night in a time of 4:27.35, the eighth-fastest swim of her career and the ninth-fastest performance of all-time, though she said post-race she wasn’t happy with the performance.
On Tuesday morning, she was the top qualifier into the final of the women’s 400 free in 4:11.45 before scratching out. Her withdrawal bumps Juliet Nicholson up in tonight’s ‘A’ final.
This past October, McIntosh was forced to withdraw from all three stops of the 2025 World Cup circuit due to illness.
Having already punched her ticket to the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine by winning the 200 fly and 400 IM, McIntosh’s scratch won’t have any implications on what her event lineup might end up being this summer. At Pan Pacs, countries can enter as many swimmers as they want in an event (provided they have the necessary time standard), but only two per nation can advance to the final.
Last August, McIntosh announced she would not be competing at this summer’s Commonwealth Games, which run just a few weeks before Pan Pacs in Glasgow.
In track and field and cycling, when athletes suddenly pull out of races or the whole meet due to illness or injury, wise heads are often glowing in the knowledge that something else is probably going on.
Like what?
I feel bad for all the people that travelled just to see her. It’s getting a bit silly with these illness excuses….if Ledecky and Phelps swam through illnesses then she can swim with a mild cold. It shows a lack of respect really
What?
Swimming at breakneck speeds can have side effects and cause mysterious illness
These mysterious illnesses skipped Phelps and Ledecky and went right for Summer
Her excuses lack versatility
I assume from these comments then that she’s focusing on the Pan Pacs and won’t be going to the Comm Games
Too many Red Bulls!
lol
Red Bull gives you wings
That’s a good one 😂
Sick of winning
I have two questions:
No and no
I disagree and say yes and yes. I think there is an important legal and ethical issue here. What if the “illness” were hypothetically a communicable one like mumps or covid or influenza, would you not want other athletes and coaches on deck to have that information from a public health perspective? It Swimming Canada were in possession of such information in connection with an athlete withdrawal, would it not be actionable negligence not to divulge?
What are you talking about? Do you get a detailed medical report every time a coworker calls in sick?
If it was a confirmed dangerous communicable disease I’m sure they would relay that information to the relevant people.
Most of the time I get a “Susan has the flu, she’ll be out for a few days” at a minimum.
Do you really believe Susan had the flu it is the most common excuse people say to take the day off sometimes it is true sometimes it is not no one check if she had the flu
Not sure where you are from but in Canada we actually have a very robust and reputable community public health system that has specific legislated responsibilities for certain reportable illnesses that include data collection and reporting as well as notification and contact tracing and taking the appropriate public health measures in a way that also follows the PHIPPA for patient confidentiality.
You know don’t have this right or responsibility? Swimming Canada.
Swimmers pull out of meets all the time for illness. You’re being weird.
There was an almost entire team from another certain country, who was very unwell at Worlds last year, who had contagious symptoms, and most kept competing and it was passed off as ‘food poisoning’. Nothing was ever clarified.
Sometimes feeling unwell could be a twinge in a limb or joint, and rather than risk further injury, the smart thing is to pull out of competition to allow for recovery. It is nobody’s business and if there has been any swimmer who is transparent it is Summer as per her interviews.
Transparent, like you mean here when she says she “felt strong throughout the race” of the 400 IM Final (on the day where she now says she had begun to feel sick in the morning), but that messing up one split might mess up others? Therefore no PB or WR. No mention of illness or under the weather, just smiley and noting that she watched Love Island and heard from MP about her “surreal” WR. Truth being shaded here, at very least.
https://youtu.be/De6nYnaxlq4?si=BG5CJGWTleJxiTcj
I don’t think she would have pulled out unless she truly felt unwell given how much she loves competing in Canada. It’s called putting on a game face ALL athletes do it.
I mean I appreciate the concise response but I think these are fair questions and we can give Scott a bit more ink on this one.
1) nah
2) nope
Bonus answer: Cry about it and go to bed angry.