Canada's swimming sensation McIntosh sets new 400m medley world record ahead of World Championships
MONTREAL, June 12 — Summer McIntosh bagged her third world record in days yesterday, 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 medallist, 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
Malay Mail
13 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Russell fastest in second practice in Canada as McLaren and Mercedes battle for supremacy
MONTREAL, June 14 — George Russell powered his Mercedes to the top of the times ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris in yesterday's second practice for this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix. As four-time champion Max Verstappen struggled to reprise his pace-setting form for Red Bull in the opening practice session, Russell clocked a best lap in one minute and 12.123 seconds to beat Norris by 0.028 seconds. Russell's Mercedes team-mate teenage rookie Kimi Antonelli was third ahead of Williams' Alex Albon, two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and championship leader Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren. It was clear that McLaren were taking a measured approach to the weekend as they tested updated front wing and suspension. Carlos Sainz was seventh for Williams ahead of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the sole Ferrari, after team-mate Charles Leclerc had crashed and damaged his car in first practice. Verstappen was ninth ahead of the two Red Bulls of Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar. For Russell, who started on pole last year, it was an encouraging session on a bright and clear day at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, where Ferrari are revered. It was the first time Russell had been fastest in a practice this year. 'It's nice,' Russell said after the session. 'It might be my first time topping a leaderboard this year, 10 races in. So obviously, it's been a very positive day.' The action began with a range of tyres chosen for use after the earlier session in which Leclerc had crashed and badly damaged the survival cell in his Ferrari. That required prolonged work to replace it and he was ruled out of FP2. Mercedes' George Russell during Formula One F1 Canadian Grand Prix practice at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Quebec June 13, 2025. — Reuters pic Pressure on Ferrari All this heaped more pressure on Ferrari and Hamilton as media speculation swirled and team boss Fred Vasseur hit back at 'stupid' stories that threatened to undermine their season. Russell set an early quickest lap before Stroll, the local hero, hit the wall at Turn Seven and damaged his Aston Martin's front wheels. His race engineer Gary Gannon asked him to stop and park, his session over. In improving conditions, Norris on mediums found his groove to go top before Albon and then Russell took control, the Mercedes man eight-tenths faster than his pole lap last year. Verstappen expressed his frustration at his Red Bull's handling. 'The car's jumping crazy at the rear,' he said, a complaint similar to one from Hamilton who reported 'the rear keeps kicking out' asking his engineer for help. Back on one of his favourite circuits, where he shares a record of seven wins with Michael Schumacher, Hamilton was showing pace to rise to second behind the ever-improving Russell, on mediums. Both McLarens soon climbed into the top 10 after taking a methodical approach to the use of their new upgrades, Norris rising to second, but Mercedes with Russell on top and Antonelli third, appeared to be strongest with 15 minutes remaining. As the teams began race-trim runs, there were 17 drivers separated by one second, ahead of Franco Colapinto's Alpine — clear evidence that a closely-fought contest is in prospect for Saturday's critical qualifying. — AFP
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Summer McIntosh Breaks 3rd World Record at Canadian Trials
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 medallist, 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.
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Swimming-Canada's teen sensation McIntosh looking ahead to worlds after record week
FILE PHOTO: Paris 2024 Olympics - Swimming - Women's 200m Ind. Medley Victory Ceremony - Paris La Defense Arena, Nanterre, France - August 03, 2024. Gold medallist Summer McIntosh of Canada celebrates as shes poses with her medal after winning the women's 200m individual medley REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo (Reuters) -A day after Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh completed one of the greatest weeks in swimming history with a hat-trick of world records, the Toronto teenager was already looking ahead to what comes next. McIntosh became the first swimmer to break three different individual long-course world records in one meet since American Michael Phelps at the 2008 Beijing Olympics when she achieved the feat at this week's Canadian swimming trials. The 18-year-old, who headlines Canada's 28-member team named on Thursday for next month's World Championships in Singapore, believes she can go even faster. "I can go over with my coach and see where to make improvements and really just use this as motivation and validation for my training so far," McIntosh said. "Just keep pushing and moving forward and work even harder." In a stunning statement ahead of the worlds, the triple Olympic champion continued her record-breaking over a glorious five days in Victoria, shattering world marks in the 400 metres freestyle plus the 200m and 400m individual medleys. In addition to her three world records, she set five Canadian marks, came within two seconds of Katie Ledecky's 800m freestyle world record set last month and clocked the fastest 200m butterfly time since super suits were banned in 2010. Moments after completing her hat-trick with the 400m IM on Wednesday, she made a beeline for fellow Canadian swimming great Penny Oleksiak, who once described McIntosh as "all gas, no brakes." Oleksiak, Canada's most decorated Olympian with seven medals, lifted McIntosh off her feet in a huge embrace. Then, as she had done all week, McIntosh gave her gold medal away to an awestruck young fan in the stands. McIntosh did not compete on the last day of the meet on Thursday, withdrawing from the 200m freestyle. Instead, she posed for photos and chatted with the large gathering of fans outside Saanich Commonwealth Place. "What a week Victoria! Had so much fun in the pool this week," McIntosh wrote on Instagram. The swimmer, who raced at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 as a 14-year-old, credited coach Fred Vergnoux -- with whom she has been training in Antibes, France since January -- for "the best meet of my career." "(Vergnoux) has been absolutely amazing throughout this whole journey these past few months," McIntosh told the CBC. "He's really taken me to the next level in the sport and pushed me farther. I've gone way faster than I ever could have imagined. "So props to him, he's done absolutely amazing with me. And we've only known each other for so long, so I feel that connection so quickly." McIntosh's mother Jill Horstead swam for Canada at the 1984 Olympics while her 20-year-old sister Brooke competed for Canada in pairs figure skating before switching allegiance to Spain, winning the Spanish national championships with partner Marco Zandron. They recently split. Summer McIntosh is expected to compete in five individual events at the World Championships, which begin on July 14 with open water events before shifting to the pool on July 26. She could continue her assault on the record books, as Phelps is the only swimmer to win five gold medals in a single worlds (2007). McIntosh then plans to move to Austin, Texas to work with Bob Bowman, Phelps' coach for his entire career. (Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Ken Ferris)
