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Globe and Mail
3 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Everything you need to know about Summer McIntosh as she dominates the World Aquatics Championships
The World Aquatics Championships are underway in Singapore and Canada's Summer McIntosh is – as expected – making big waves. The 18-year-old has already won three gold medals this week, and is looking for two more to tie American legend Michael Phelps's record for most individual golds won at a single world championship. Summer McIntosh faces greatest challenge yet in historic medal chase A generational talent already among the top swimmers in the world, McIntosh may be the best swimmer to ever come out of Canada. She is a three-time Olympic champion, seven-time World Champion, holds six current world records and has set precedents that would have been unthinkable in Canadian swimming even a decade ago. Here's everything you need to know about McIntosh as she looks to make history yet again this week. McIntosh is 18 years old and was born and raised in Toronto. Her mother, Jill Horstead, competed for Canada in the 200-metre butterfly at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games, and her older sister, Brooke, is a Canadian pairs figure skater. During the pandemic, McIntosh uprooted her training from Toronto to Florida to train with coach Brent Arckey, a medley specialist, and has been training and studying in Sarasota. In May, she announced she would be moving to Austin, Texas, to train with Bob Bowman, who coached Michael Phelps to his Olympics dominance. She made her Olympic debut in Tokyo at just 14 years old, making her the youngest Canadian athlete at the 2020 Summer Games. McIntosh is the reigning Olympic champion in the 200-metre butterfly, the 200-metre individual medley and the 400-metre medley, and set her first of six long-course world records when she was just 16. At the Canadian swimming trials in June, McIntosh beat her own world records in the 400-metre individual medley and the 400-metre freestyle, and also broke the 200-metre individual medley record. Last December, she also set three short-course world records in 400-metre freestyle, 200-metre butterfly and 400-metre individual medley at the world championships. Olympian Summer McIntosh may be the best swimmer to ever come out of Canada In total, she has won four Olympic medals, 11 long-course World Championship medals and set nine world records in six events at the senior level. After her three golds and one silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the weeks before her 18th birthday – tying teammate Penny Oleksiak for the most by any Canadian at a single Olympics – Time magazine dubbed the season the 'Summer of Summer.' McIntosh has won three gold medals so far in Singapore, making her the first Canadian to claim three golds at a single world championship. She won gold in the 200-metre butterfly on Thursday, coming within a quarter of a second of beating the world record and making her the first to win three world titles in the same event after victories in 2022 and 2023. Her meet-record time of 2:01.99 is the fastest ever in a textile suit and just shy of the world record of 2:01.81 set by China's Liu Zige in 2009 during the era of the now-banned 'super suit.' Cathal Kelly: Summer McIntosh's star set to soar with Olympics still three years away McIntosh also won the 200-metre individual medley and 400-metre freestyle events earlier in the meet. In total, she has won 11 medals at long-course worlds, pushing her past teammate Kylie Masse. McIntosh was back in the water Friday in the 800-metre freestyle heats ahead of Saturday's final, which saw her go head-to-head with reigning Olympic champion Katie Ledecky. The final for the 400-metre individual medley, in which McIntosh is the Olympic champion and world-record holder, is on Sunday, the last day of the championship. McIntosh is aiming for five individual titles – something only Phelps has achieved at a single world championship. If she wins her remaining two events, she would also be the first and only woman to accomplish the feat. At the Friday heats for the 800-metre freestyle event, McIntosh faced off against reigning Olympic champion Ledecky, an American widely considered the best female swimmer in history. Ledecky, who is going after Phelps's all-time record of 26 gold medals at the world championships, finished more than five seconds ahead of McIntosh with a time of 8:14.62. Ledecky currently has 22 golds at the event. Last February, McIntosh clocked the season's fastest time at a meet in Florida, handing Ledecky her first loss in the event in 13 years. But she ultimately opted out of that event at the Paris Olympics to focus on other races. McIntosh said Thursday she was frustrated not to reach the world record in the 200-metre butterfly, but felt optimistic going into the final two events. 'Seeing how close I was gives me a lot of confidence, and the way I felt in that final is amazing as well, so I'm super, super excited for the 800 and then of course the 400 IM,' McIntosh told The Canadian Press. 'Now all my focus is on getting a good recovery tonight and then getting ready for the heats.' McIntosh's strength across several different strokes and distances at such a young age sets her apart. She is a precision freestyler, elite at the butterfly and a talented backstroker when it comes to the medleys. Arguably, there was a time when the breaststroke might have been her weakness. But she went to work in 2023 and fixed that ahead of the Paris Olympics. 'Pain tolerance is her secret weapon': The origins of Summer McIntosh While her youth and power were what first turned heads, McIntosh's coaches, teammates and observers have noted that it's her mental strength, discipline and ability to handle the intense pressure that help set her apart from peers even years her senior. 'We've never had anybody at this level,' Brent Hayden, who won bronze for Canada at the London Olympics in 2012 and swam alongside McIntosh in Tokyo, told The Globe and Mail last July. 'I don't think we've seen somebody this good in that many events, ever.' With reports from Grant Robertson and The Canadian Press
Toronto Sun
4 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Summer McIntosh, Katie Ledecky set for world swimming showdown in 800-metre freestyle
Published Aug 01, 2025 • 2 minute read Canadian swimmer Summer Mcintosh competes in a heat of the women's 800m freestyle swimming event during the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. Getty Images Summer McIntosh geared up for a swimming duel with American star Katie Ledecky, while Blake Tierney fell agonizingly short of the podium Friday at the world championship. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account McIntosh races for a fourth straight gold in Singapore in Saturday's 800-metre freestyle. It could be the Canadian's toughest challenge yet as McIntosh needs to beat reigning Olympic champion and world-record holder Ledecky for another gold. McIntosh posted the third-fastest time in Friday's heats at eight minutes 19.88 seconds behind Ledecky (8:14.62) and Lanni Pallister of Australia (8:17.06). McIntosh and Ledecky will race in lanes beside each other in the final scheduled for 8:17 a.m. ET. 'Any time I get to race Katie, whether it's in the 800, which I haven't done in a while or the 400 or any event really, any time we get a matchup it's lots of fun,' McIntosh said. 'She pushes me to reach bigger goals, so I'm really excited to race her tomorrow night.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The 18-year-old from Toronto beat Ledecky in the 400-metre freestyle on opening day for the first of her three gold medals, which is the most by a Canadian at a world championship. McIntosh was also victorious in the 200-metre individual medley and 200-metre butterfly. Her stated goal for Singapore was five wins in her five individual races — the 400 individual medley is Sunday — which is a feat only U.S. great Michael Phelps has achieved at a single world championship. Ledecky is the only woman to win four gold medals at a long-course world championship, which she did in 2015 in Kazan, Russia. Also Friday, Toronto's Josh Liendo and Montreal's Ilya Kharun booked spots in the men's 100-metre butterfly final Saturday. The two shared the Olympic podium in Paris last year, with Liendo taking silver and Kharun the bronze. Liendo turned in the second-fastest time in the semifinals of 50.24 seconds, while Kharun was fourth in 50.39. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Saskatoon's Tierney finished fourth in the men's 200-metre backstroke in 1:55.09, which was just under half a second short of a medal. 'This is my first time ever making a semi, let alone a final, in the 200 back,' Tierney said. The 23-year-old broke the Canadian record twice — in the heats (1:55.17) and again in the semifinal (1:55.03) — to qualify for the final. 'The plan was really just to treat each swim like it was my only swim, so if I didn't make a semi or final, I'd be able to walk with my head high,' Tierney said. 'It was a little more taxing than maybe some of the other guys who maybe cruised some in the morning. But three 1:55s, I'm pretty happy with that.' Hungary's Hubert Kos won gold in 1:53.19, followed by South Africa's Pieter Coetze (1:53.36) and France's Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (1:54.62). Canada has won six medals at the world aquatics championships — five in swimming and one in high diving. Taylor Ruck of Kelowna, B.C., finished 13th in women's 50-metre butterfly, and Calgary's Ingrid Wilm was 13th in the women's 200-metre backstroke. Singapore offers a prize purse of US$3.1 million for pool and open-water swimmers, plus a $30,000 bonus to swimmers who break world records. Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis. Toronto & GTA Toronto Blue Jays Columnists Celebrity Canada
CBC
4 hours ago
- CBC
McIntosh vs. Ledecky: Who will touch the wall first in the 800m freestyle final?
The showdown we've all been waiting for is here. Katie Ledecky and Summer Mcintosh will go head-to-head at the World Aquatics Championships at 8:21 a.m. ET Saturday morning on CBC Sports and CBC Gem.
