Canada's McIntosh breaks 400m medley world record
MONTREAL: Summer McIntosh bagged her third world record in days on Wednesday, clocking 4min 23.65sec to better her own 400 medley record at the Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria. The 18-year-old Canadian prodigy, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, laid down another impressive marker ahead of next month's World Championships in Singapore with a dominant performance. McIntosh's blistering time beat her old mark of 4:24.38 set in Toronto in May last year at the Canadian Olympic trials.
McIntosh's assault on her own world record got off to a smooth start, with the teenager completing the opening butterfly leg in world record pace. She was more than a second ahead of the world record at the halfway stage, and although that margin dropped to one-tenth of a second after the breaststroke, she produced an electrifying freestyle down the stretch to complete a scintillating performance.
"Going into tonight, I knew I could do something really special because this has probably been the best meet of my career," McIntosh said afterwards in a pool deck interview. "World records are made to be broken. So by the time I leave this sport, I want to make sure that that record is as fast as possible. "That really keeps me going, because I know there's always going to be the next generation of kids growing up, and they're going to be chasing the record. So I've gotta give them my best effort to see how long it can stand." Wednesday's record-breaking display was the latest entry to an impressive catalogue of performances she has produced this week in British Columbia.
On Saturday, she smashed the women's 400m freestyle record, slicing more than a second off Australian star Ariarne Titmus's world best from 2023. She then clocked the third fastest 800m freestyle in history on Sunday, before diving back into the pool on Monday to obliterate Hungarian great Katinka Hosszu's decade-old 200m medley world record. McIntosh, who gold medals in the 200m butterfly, 200m medley and 400m medley at last year's Paris Olympics, will now head to next month's worlds aiming to add to her collection of four world championship gold medals.- AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Kuwait Times
Football and falls as first humanoid robot games launch in China
The first World Humanoid Robot Games began on Friday in Beijing with over 500 androids alternating between jerky tumbles and glimpses of real power as they compete in events from the 100-metre hurdles to kung fu. Hundreds of robotics teams from 16 countries are going for gold at the Chinese capital's National Speed Skating Oval, built for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Events include traditional sports like athletics and basketball, as well as practical tasks such as medicine categorization and cleaning. 'I believe in the next 10 years or so robots will be basically at the same level as humans,' enthusiastic 18-year-old spectator Chen Ruiyuan told AFP. Human athletes might not be quaking in their boots just yet. At one of the first events on Friday, five-a-side football, 10 robots the size of seven-year-olds shuffled around the pitch, often getting stuck in a scrum or falling over en masse. However, in a 1500m race, domestic champion Unitree's humanoid stomped along the track at an impressive clip, easily outpacing rivals. The fastest robot AFP witnessed finished in 6min 29.37sec, a far cry from the human men's world record of 3:26.00. One mechanical racer barreled straight into a human operator. The robot remained standing while the human was knocked flat, though did not appear to be injured. Robots demonstrate the sport of boxing during the opening ceremony of the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. A robot takes part in the opening ceremony of the World Humanoid Robot Games. People and robots take part in the opening ceremony of the World Humanoid Robot Games. A robot with a Labubu doll practises before the opening ceremony of the World Humanoid Robot Games. Two robots fight in a free combat style event. A referee announces the winner in the free combat style event. 'National strategy' Robot competitions have been held for decades, but the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games is the first to focus specifically on robots that resemble human bodies, organizers said. The Chinese government has poured support into robotics hoping to lead the industry. Beijing has put humanoids in the 'center of their national strategy', the International Federation of Robotics wrote in a paper on Thursday. 'The government wants to showcase its competence and global competitiveness in this field of technology,' it added. Joost Weerheim, an operator with a Dutch five-a-side robot football team, told AFP he was impressed. 'I think right now if they are not already the world leader, they are very, very quickly becoming it,' he said. Domestically, authorities are working to raise awareness of the sector across society. Cui Han, accompanying her 10-year-old, told AFP that her son's school had organized and paid for the trip to the Games. 'I hope it will encourage him to learn more about these new technologies,' she said. In March, China announced plans for a one-trillion-yuan fund ($139 billion) to support technology startups, including those in robotics and AI. Third place from Lingyi Technology in the 1500M run attend the award ceremony. An engineer (left) controls a robot as it competes in the 400M run. A robot competes in the 100M obstacles game event. Robots are seen prior to competiting in the World Humanoid robots games. Robots compete in a 5x5 football match during the World Humanoid robots games in Beijing.--AFP photos A robot competes in the high jump category during the World Humanoid Robots Games. The country is already the world's largest market for industrial robots, official statistics show, and in April Beijing held what organizers dubbed the world's first humanoid robot half-marathon. Chen, the 18-year-old, told AFP he was about to begin studying automation at university. 'Coming here can cultivate my passion for this field,' he said. 'My favourite is the boxing because... it requires a lot of agility and I can really see how the robots have improved from before.' At the kung fu competition area, a pint-sized robot resembling one from the popular Transformer series attempted to execute a move, but fell flat on its front. It spun around on the floor as it struggled to get back up, the crowd happily cheering. — AFP
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Kuwait Times
Captain Wilson scores twice as Australia stun South Africa
JOHANNESBURG: Australia's loose forward Nick Champion de Crespigny ( C ) slips as he runs with the ball during the Rugby Championship first round Test match between South Africa and Australia at the Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg. – AFP JOHANNESBURG: Captain and No 8 Harry Wilson scored two tries as Australia staged a remarkable comeback to stun South Africa 38-22 in the 2025 Rugby Championship opener in Johannesburg on Saturday. Trailing by 22 points after 19 minutes, the Wallabies scored 38 unanswered points for a first victory over the Springboks in the South African economic capital since 1963. Backs Dylan Pietsch, Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii, Max Jorgensen and Tom Wright were the other Australian try scorers and veteran James O'Connor converted four. Kurt-Lee Arendse, Andre Esterhuizen and captain Siya Kolisi crossed the line for the defending champions. Manie Libbok converted twice and slotted a penalty. Record four-time Rugby World Cup winners South Africa were unstoppable in the early stages on a grey evening at Ellis Park with scrum-half Grant Williams playing a key role. His perfectly weighted box kicks allowed the Springboks to establish an aerial advantage and the power of the forwards had the visitors reeling. When Kolisi crossed for the third try it was hard to imagine what was to follow in the first game of the southern hemisphere championship. The first hint that a stunning revival was imminent came on 29 minutes when Pietsch scored. He was forced to retire injured soon after following a collision with Kolisi. Australia dominated the second half, helped by endless basic errors from South Africa. When Wilson scored his second try on 64 minutes, Australia took a 24-22 lead. The Springboks were let down by a lack of pace and by missed tackles on defence in the closing stages. Jorgensen and Wright took advantage to end a run of seven straight Wallaby losses in Johannesburg. Argentina host New Zealand later on Saturday in Cordoba in the other first round match. – AFP
Arab Times
a day ago
- Arab Times
Pakistan will not restrict mountaineering expeditions despite the recent deaths of climbers
PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Aug 17, (AP): Pakistan has issued no warnings or restrictions for mountaineering expeditions in the north, an official said Sunday, despite the recent deaths of climbers. Climbers were well aware of the harsh weather and all the other risks and challenges, said Faizullah Faraq, a spokesman for the government of Gilgit-Baltistan, the northern region home to some of the world's highest mountains. "Despite that, they willingly accept these challenges and come here to attempt these summits.' Chinese climber Guan Jing, 37, was the latest person to perish on one of Pakistan's mountains. She died last Tuesday after being hit by falling rocks on K2, the world's second-highest peak known for its treacherous slopes and extreme weather conditions. Rescue teams recovered her body on Saturday. Her body was still in the mortuary of the Combined Military Hospital in Skardu on Sunday. Contact has been made with Chinese authorities in Islamabad, and "now it is up to them to make further decisions in this regard,' said Faraq. Jing's death occurred several weeks after German mountaineer and Olympic gold medalist Laura Dahlmeier died while attempting Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountain range. Bodies of foreign climbers who die attempting to summit mountains in Pakistan are typically recovered at the request of their families. But if the family declines a rescue, the remains are left at the spot where the climber died. Faraq said authorities were trying to provide climbers with better infrastructure, rescue facilities, security and a friendly environment. Mountaineering expeditions are the backbone of the local economy, bringing in millions of dollars in direct revenue. A large number of people work on these expeditions from May to September, feeding their families for the whole year with these earnings, he added. Hundreds of climbers try to scale mountains in northern Pakistan every year. Accidents are common because of avalanches and sudden weather changes. Last August, two Russians spent six days stranded on a remote peak before they were rescued. Gilgit-Baltistan, in Kashmir, has been battered by higher-than-normal monsoon rains this year, triggering flash floods and landslides.
