Canada's McIntosh aces her 'biggest' night of world championships
McIntosh claimed gold in the women's 400 metres freestyle in three minutes and 56.26 seconds, nearly two seconds ahead of Chinese silver medallist Li Bingjie, with American great Katie Ledecky finishing in third place.
The three-times Olympic champion did not have much time to savour her win, however, and exited quickly to prepare for the 200 individual medley (IM) semi-finals.
Despite the tight schedule McIntosh was again in a class of her own, qualifying for the final more than a second ahead of her nearest rival.
"While preparing mentally for this world championships, I thought tonight is my biggest night of the whole meet," the 18-year-old said. "So to come out with a gold medal and a really good, strong semi-final in the 200 IM, I'm really happy.
"I've never done a double like that, and I think 400m free, at past world championships and Olympics, I haven't been at my best, and I haven't been where I wanted to be.
"To finally stand in the centre of the podium is promising for the rest of the meet... I was very relaxed, just based off how I've been feeling this past couple of months, and especially in warm-up today, I felt really strong."
McIntosh is coming into the competition on the back of a barnstorming Canadian trials last month, where she set world records in the 400 freestyle as well as the 200 IM and 400 IM.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Defending champion Pegula sent packing by Sevastova at Canadian Open, Swiatek through
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Aug 1, 2025; Montreal, QC, Canada; Jessica Pegula (USA) returns the ball to Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) in third round play at IGA Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images Twice defending champion Jessica Pegula crashed out of the Canadian Open after losing to Anastasija Sevastova 3-6 6-4 6-1 in the third round on Friday, while six-times major winner Iga Swiatek marched on with a dominant 6-2 6-2 win over Eva Lys. The 35-year-old Sevastova, ranked 386 in the world, will next face four-times Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who took out Latvian 22nd seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-4. "I don't know," Sevastova said after upsetting third seed Pegula. "Somehow, I was down 2-0 in the second set and started to play better and better. Third set, I played really good. Just trying to stay on the court as long as possible." Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova, seeded fifth in Montreal, carved out a comfortable win over Emma Raducanu, beating the 2021 U.S. Open champion 6-2 6-1. Anisimova's win over Raducanu is her first, having lost their previous two encounters. She will next face Ukrainian 10th seed Elina Svitolina. In the men's draw, American second seed Taylor Fritz made light work of local hope Gabriel Diallo, beating the 27th seed 6-4 6-2. Fritz, who is eyeing a third title of the season after triumphs in Eastbourne and Stuttgart, will next take on Czech 19th seed Jiri Lehecka. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Opening of Woodlands Health has eased load on KTPH, sets standard for future hospitals: Ong Ye Kung Singapore New vehicular bridge connecting Punggol Central and Seletar Link to open on Aug 3 Business Property 'decoupling' illegal if done solely to avoid taxes: High Court Singapore HSA investigating teen who was observed to be allegedly vaping in MRT train Singapore Tengah facility with over 40 animal shelters, businesses hit by ticks Sport From remote islands to world stage, solo swimmers at World C'ships want to make their nations proud Asia 'Every day, we think about how to upgrade': China's factories see rise in robot adoption Singapore 60 years of building Singapore "Even the games that I didn't serve my best in, I felt like I backed it up really well from the baseline, so I'm happy with that," Fritz said. American fourth seed Ben Shelton, however, was made to work hard by countryman Brandon Nakashima before managing a 6-7(8) 6-2 7-6(5) win. "It was back and forth," Shelton said. "There were a lot of huge moments, like being able to break back after getting broken in my first service game of the third set. I feel like I showed a lot of perseverance tonight." Next up for Shelton is Italian 13th seed Flavio Cobolli. REUTERS
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Defending champion Pegula sent packing by Sevastova at Canadian Open, Swiatek through
Twice defending champion Jessica Pegula crashed out of the Canadian Open after losing to Anastasija Sevastova 3-6 6-4 6-1 in the third round on Friday, while six-times major winner Iga Swiatek marched on with a dominant 6-2 6-2 win over Eva Lys. The 35-year-old Sevastova, ranked 386 in the world, will next face four-times Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who took out Latvian 22nd seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-4. "I don't know," Sevastova said after upsetting third seed Pegula. "Somehow, I was down 2-0 in the second set and started to play better and better. Third set, I played really good. Just trying to stay on the court as long as possible." Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova, seeded fifth in Montreal, carved out a comfortable win over Emma Raducanu, beating the 2021 U.S. Open champion 6-2 6-1. Anisimova's win over Raducanu is her first, having lost their previous two encounters. She will next face Ukrainian 10th seed Elina Svitolina. In the men's draw, American second seed Taylor Fritz made light work of local hope Gabriel Diallo, beating the 27th seed 6-4 6-2. Fritz, who is eyeing a third title of the season after triumphs in Eastbourne and Stuttgart, will next take on Czech 19th seed Jiri Lehecka. "Even the games that I didn't serve my best in, I felt like I backed it up really well from the baseline, so I'm happy with that," Fritz said. American fourth seed Ben Shelton, however, was made to work hard by countryman Brandon Nakashima before managing a 6-7(8) 6-2 7-6(5) win. "It was back and forth," Shelton said. "There were a lot of huge moments, like being able to break back after getting broken in my first service game of the third set. I feel like I showed a lot of perseverance tonight." Next up for Shelton is Italian 13th seed Flavio Cobolli.
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
New vehicular bridge connecting Punggol Central and Seletar Link to open on Aug 3
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The six-lane bridge between Punggol Central and Seletar Link will also come with upgraded junctions and cycling paths on both sides. SINGAPORE - Motorists living in Punggol West will have another access to Tampines Expressway (TPE) when a new six-lane vehicular bridge connecting Punggol Central and Seletar Link opens on Aug 3. This alternative route to enter and exit Punggol town will help relieve traffic pressure on existing major arterial roads like Punggol Way and Punggol Road, which feed into the TPE. The new bridge, located near Yusof Ishak Secondary School, comes with upgraded road junctions and barrier-free paths that link to the Punggol Park Connector, said Punggol GRC MP Sun Xueling in a Facebook post on July 31. It will form part of a new road called Seletar South Link. Ms Sun, who is Senior Minister of State for Transport and National Development, said in earlier social media posts that the bridge spanning the Sungei Punggol river will have cycling paths on both sides. 'Punggol residents can benefit from more transport options in and out of the town,' Ms Sun told The Straits Times on Aug 1. 'Punggol is a town which is still growing, and we have many young families who drive and use public transport to go to work, visit family and friends and manage household needs,' she added. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Tengah facility with over 40 animal shelters, businesses hit by ticks Singapore 60 years of building Singapore Asia 'Every day, we think about how to upgrade': China's factories see rise in robot adoption Singapore Sheng Siong to open first store in Orchard by end-August Sport Spurs captain Son Heung-min says he is leaving the English Premier League club Life Tastemakers: Burnt-out serial entrepreneur cooks up $16m success with Lau Wang Claypot Delights Asia 'This isn't some concubine selection': Why matchmaking events for rich Chinese have drawn flak Ms Sun said many Punggol residents use Exits 9 and 10 on the TPE to get in and out of the town. During peak hours, motorists can get stuck in traffic for five to 10 minutes at these exits before they can get onto the expressway, she noted. In January 2024, the Land Transport Authority opened the new Seletar Link Flyover , which connects Seletar Link to the TPE. This was to cater to an expected increase in traffic in parts of Punggol due to new developments there. The hope was that the flyover would improve traffic conditions, especially at the TPE exit near Punggol Way, with motorists having the option to use Punggol North Avenue and Seletar Link to get to the TPE instead. Ms Sun noted that there is land in the west of Punggol that has been set aside for future Build-To-Order flats. Hence, the extension of Punggol Central and the new vehicular bridge connecting to Seletar Link will meet the needs of both current and future Punggol residents, she said. According to the Urban Redevelopment Authority's 2025 draft masterplan , two plots of land next to Sungei Punggol on either side of Punggol Central road are zoned for residential use. Construction of the road extension and other related civil engineering work began in December 2018, after a $31.8 million contract was awarded by the Housing Board to Guan Joo Construction. Ms Sun had said in January 2024 that the vehicular bridge would open in the second half of that year. But this was pushed back to the first half of 2025, then later to July, and now Aug 3. Ms Latashni Gobi Nathan, who lives in Northshore Crescent, said traffic from her home to the TPE is not so bad because she and her husband can avoid Punggol Way and use Seletar Link instead. But she said the problem is when they need to get to Sengkang, where her in-laws live. A 10-minute drive can take 20 minutes when congestion hits. 'More exits and entries will help a lot,' added the 35-year-old, who works in communications. Punggol West resident Eddie Sia, 35, held a similar view. 'It used to be very bad, especially in the morning. But when Seletar North Link opened, the congestion was reduced,' the interior designer said. He added: 'Once Seletar South Link is open, it will definitely improve the flow of traffic.'
