McIntosh captures Canadian record in women's 200m butterfly at national trials in Victoria

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Summer McIntosh of Toronto, seen in a file photo from December, set a Canadian record in the 200-metre butterfly on Day 4 of national swimming trials in Victoria on Tuesday. (Denes Erdos/The Associated Press - image credit)
Summer McIntosh added yet another feather in her historic cap on Day 4 of Canadian Swimming trials in Victoria on Tuesday.
The superstar teen from Toronto won the women's 200-metre butterfly final in a Canadian record time of 2 minutes, 2.26 seconds, giving her the second-best performance in the history of the event behind China's Liu Zige (2009).
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"I actually think I rank this race higher than some of my other ones," McIntosh told CBC Sports' Devin Heroux after the race.
"I would almost rate it higher than the 200m IM just because I think this world record is the hardest one to get. ... Really happy with the 2:02-low. Going into tonight I didn't know if that was possible."
WATCH | McIntosh wins women's 200m butterfly final in Canadian record time:
Although she was pleased with the performance, McIntosh suggested there's room for improvement in the event.
"I think my last stroke was just a little bit wonky, so I think I have at least point-one, point-two in that alone. I can definitely find the other little bits and pieces throughout the race," McIntosh said.
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"The fact that I'm knocking on the door on that world record is really, really encouraging because that's the world record that I never thought I would even come close to."
The 18-year-old has already taken down the world 400m freestyle and 200m individual medley marks, while setting a Canadian record in the 800m freestyle at this year's national trials alone.
McIntosh will further look to rewrite history when competing in the women's 400m individual medley, where she owns the world record, on Wednesday, and the 200m freestyle on the final day of trials Thursday.
McIntosh has scratched the 200m backstroke from her Wednesday schedule after initially being entered.
Penny fast, victorious again
Seven-time Olympic medallist Penny Oleksiak was fast again on Day 4, winning the women's 100m freestyle in a sterling time of 54.03.
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The prolific 24-year-old's result met the Aqua A time standard, meaning she will compete in this event at the world championship in Singapore.
"I'm excited to be done this race. I'm happy that it's over," she laughed.
"I definitely think I had a lot more in that race. ... I'm excited to get back to training and just get faster for the summer now that I have two individuals [events to race during worlds]," Oleksiak said.
Stacking quality performances together on consecutive nights, Oleksiak will also compete in the women's 50m freestyle at worlds after winning that event on Day 3 of trials.
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As Oleksiak continues working her way back from multiple surgeries that limited her ability to train and compete, Tuesday's result inches her closer to her own Canadian record of 52.59, set at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
Gaziev back, books ticket to worlds
Another swimmer advancing to the world championships, which will be held from July 27-Aug. 3., will be Ruslan Gaziev.
Back from an 18-month suspension for a whereabouts failure, the 25-year-old who resides in Toronto posted a time of 48.37 in the men's 100m freestyle.
That figure meets the secondary standard time required to secure his place in Singapore.
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"I started training again at the beginning of April ... as things started to progress and my training was pretty good, I started to increase my expectations a little bit," Gaziev said.
"I'm honestly proud of myself how I've handled the struggles that I've had. That's the main thing — I feel like I've really built up my resilience."
After spending 12 months away from the pool, Gaziev expressed gratitude for the opportunity to return to his passion and the perspective gained in the time away from the sport.
"Not being able to do what I love just made me so grateful when I came back, and made me realize that you can't take this stuff for granted," Gaziev said.
More national Para records achieved
Nicholas Bennett of Parksville, B.C. raced to a men's S14 100m butterfly national record, touching the wall in a time of 57.50.
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Bennett, 21, captured three medals at the 2024 Paralympics, including golds in the SB14 100m breaststroke and SM14 200m individual medley.
WATCH | Bennett breaks men's S14 100m national record:
Earlier, the budding 15-year-old Alyssa Smyth, who races for the Orangeville Otters in Ontario, broke the women's S13 100m butterfly.
WATCH | 15-year-old Para talent Smyth breaks national women's S13 100m fly mark:
Kharun dominant in men's 200m fly
Ilya Kharun of Montreal cruised to victory in the men's 200m butterfly final in a time of 1:53.41, narrowly falling short of his own Canadian record time of 1:52.80 set at the Paris Games in 2024.
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The 20-year-old's result on Tuesday night is the second-best men's 200m butterfly time in the world this year.
Kharun continues his strong showing at trials after he swam to victory in the men's 100m butterfly on Sunday.