Yu Yiting (middle) wins the women's 200m individual medley at the 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine, California. [Photo/VCG]

Yu Yiting, a native of Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, won the women's 200m individual medley at the 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine, California, on Aug 15 local time, edging out Canadian world-record holder Summer McIntosh by 0.02 seconds with a time of 2:07.45 and setting a championship record. 

Yu's victory was her first over McIntosh in the event. It also gave China its second gold of the championships, following Tang Qianting's win in the women's 50m breaststroke. 

Yu built her advantage in the breaststroke leg and held off McIntosh's strong finish in the freestyle. Her winning time was 0.63 seconds slower than the Asian record of 2:06.82 she set at the 2026 National Swimming Championships in June.

McIntosh holds the world record in the women's 200m individual medley at 2:05.70. She also won three individual gold medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Yu said the hard-fought victory gave her added confidence ahead of the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.