Summer McIntosh wins first gold medal at worlds in her quest for five
McIntosh is aiming to win five gold medals in individual events at the worlds in Singapore, and the first one came Sunday in the 400-meter freestyle on the first of eight days in the pool.
Only legendary American Michael Phelps has ever won five individual medals in the worlds. He also did it at the Olympics.
McIntosh won but did not break her own world record, winning in 3 minutes, 56.26 seconds. Li Bingjie of China took silver (3:58.21) with a late charge to leave American Katie Ledecky (3:58.49) with bronze.
A year ago in the Olympics, Ledecky also took bronze in the 400. McIntosh was the silver medalist with gold for Australian Ariarne Titmus of Australia.
Titmus is taking a year off and did not swim and has since lost her world record in the event to McIntosh.
For Ledecky, a nine-time Olympic gold medalist, it was her 27th medal in the world championships in an astonishing career.
She won her first Olympic gold in 2012 in London, and then started adding world championship medals beginning in Barcelona in 2013.
About 25 minutes after winning the 400, McIntosh came back and qualified first in the 200 individual medley, clocking 2:07.39. American Alex Walsh was second in 2:08.49. That final is Monday.
"I've never done a double like that," McIntosh said. "I think the 400 free, at past world championships and Olympics, I haven't been at my best. And I haven't been where I wanted to be. So, to finally stand in the center of the podium is promising for the rest of the meet."
The Canadian added: I think I'm at my best. I'm in the best shape of my life. So now I just have to act on that and put it into all my races."
The shock of the first day might have been Chinese 12-year-old Yu Zidi, who was the seventh fastest in qualifying and will swim in the final.
Asked her reaction, she replied: "Oh, I'm in," unaware she had advanced.
"I will continue to work harder," she added. "I hope to find a breakthrough at these world championships and show my potential."
Asked for her reaction to the competition, she added. "You can feel it's quite intense. I try not to think so much and just give it my all."
The 200 IM might not even be her best event with the Chinese likely quicker in the 400 IM and the 200 butterfly.
Meanwhile, the United States is swimming with what appears to be a weakened team after officials acknowledged Sunday that some members of the team had come down with "acute gastroenteritis" at a training camp in Thailand prior to arriving in Singapore.
Nikki Warner, a spokeswoman for USA Swimming, would not say how many fell ill in Thailand. She cited health confidentiality rules. She said all American swimmers had traveled to Singapore.
In the other early individual final Sunday, Lukas Martens of Germany won the men's 400 free in 3:42.35, edging Sam Short of Australia who was .02 behind. Bronze went to Kim Woomin of South Korea in 3:42.60.
Martens is the defending Olympic champion and also holds the world record of 3:39.96.
McIntosh, who won three gold medals a year ago at the Paris Olympics, holds the world record in the 400 free — 3:54.18. She will face off again with Ledecky in the 800 free later in the meet, probably the most anticipated race in Singapore.
Though she holds the 400 free world record, McIntosh had failed to win gold in the event in the Olympics or previous world championships.
McIntosh will also be after gold in the 200- and 400-individual medleys, and the 200 butterfly.
The other two gold medals Sunday were in the relays. The United States was the favorite in both and failed to win either.
The Australian women took gold just ahead of the United States in the 4x100 freestyle relay. The Aussies clocked 3:30.60 with 3:31.04 for the US. The Netherlands took bronze in 3:33.89.
On the men's side in the 4x100, Australia also took gold in 3:08.97. Italy took silver in 3:09.58 with bronze for the United States in 3:09.64.
There were three other semifinal results on Sunday.
Qin Haiyang of China took the 200 breaststroke in 58.24 with Paris Olympic champion Nicolo Martinenghi second in 58.62. The Italian was initially disqualified for moving on the blocks, but was later reinstated on appeal.
Gretchen Walsh of the United States and Roos Vanotterdijk of Belgium tied in the 100 butterfly in 56.07, and Maxime Grousset of France took the men's 50 fly in 22.61.
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