‘Loss for words': Toronto's Summer McIntosh reflects on setting her third world record in five days
The 18-year-old Canadian Olympian tells CTV News that the feeling is 'surreal' and she's 'training hard every single day.'
Canadian Olympic champion and Toronto's own Summer McIntosh has once again broken her own world record — marking history three times in just five days.
On Wednesday night, at the Bell Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria, B.C., the 18-year-old swam the 400-metre individual medley in a time of 4:23.65, eclipsing her previous world-best time of 4:24.38 set just last year at the previous Olympic trials.
It marks the third time this week McIntosh has rewritten the history books and the fifth time she's reset a national record. She'll now shift her focus to the world championships in Singapore coming next month.
'I think I'm at a loss for words. I don't think it's fully sunken in yet,' McIntosh told CTV News Channel Thursday night. 'I just try to really focus in on each race individually and not kind of think about what I was doing too much.'
McIntosh opened the week with a world record in the 400m freestyle on Saturday, followed by another in the 200m individual medley on Monday.
Summer McIntosh
Summer McIntosh competes at the Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria on Monday, June 9, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Courtesy Swimming Canada/Scott Grant *MANDATORY CREDIT*
(Scott Grant/The Canadian Press)
She also broke her own Canadian record in the 800m freestyle on Sunday, clocking in at 8:05.07 — nearly five seconds faster than her previous best — and again in the 200m butterfly on Tuesday, swimming 2:02.26, the second-fastest time ever recorded in the event.
'Being able to see all my training come into fruition is so validating, and it really keeps me going and pushing forward for sure,' she said.
The world championships in Singapore are set to begin July 27. It will be her first major international competition since her breakout performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she won three gold medals and one silver — becoming the first Canadian to win three Olympic golds at a single Games.
'I'm forever chasing that feeling of adrenaline and pure bliss and happiness,' McIntosh said. 'It definitely never gets old. The more I set, the more I want to break.'
McIntosh will also soon begin a new chapter in her training. Her agent confirmed last month that she'll be working with Bob Bowman — the former coach of 23-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps — later this summer. She previously trained in Florida under Brent Arckey with the Sarasota Sharks.
'After the Olympics, I took a few weeks off, which was really nice,' McIntosh said. 'Coming into the season I had really big goals, bigger than I did even for the Olympics. So it was all business once I got back to the pool.'
Summer McIntosh CP Female Athlete of the Year
Canada's Summer McIntosh, of Toronto, celebrates with her gold medal won in the 200m women's individual medley final during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, in Nanterre, France, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)
'Lots of mental preparation has gone into this,' she added. 'But I think trials is a little bit less pressure, just because it's a home meet. I can always feed off the energy of the crowd.'
And for her trip to Singapore?
'I'm super excited to go.'
With files from The Canadian Press...
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Medicine Hat Tigers superstar Gavin McKenna named CHL Player of the Year
Medicine Hat Tigers' Gavin McKenna (72) looks for the puck during second period Memorial Cup hockey action against the Rimouski Oceanic in Rimouski, Que., on Friday, May 23, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov Medicine Hat Tigers star Gavin McKenna has been named the best major junior hockey player in the entire Canadian Hockey League. The Yukon native put up 129 points during the regular season, including a record-setting 54-game point-scoring streak. He led the Tigers to within one win of the Memorial Cup, which they lost in the finals to the London Knights. McKenna was only held scoreless three times during the regular season. The 17-year-old becomes the third-youngest player to win the David Branch Award in CHL history, behind Sidney Crosby and John Tavares, who both won it when they were 16. McKenna is the first Medicine Hat Tiger to win the award in franchise history.
National Post
5 hours ago
- National Post
Blue Jays revert to offensively-challenged ways in dropping series opener to host Phillies
The Blue Jays received no affection from the City of Brotherly Love. Article content Instead, they got a look at the team they used to be when runs were scarce and extra-base hits even scarcer. Article content Article content They have been playing well and how they respond to Friday night's 8-0 loss to the host Philadelphia Phillies will provide a deeper glimpse into how this team has evolved. Article content The Jays have not lost two games in a row since that embarrassing three-game sweep in Tampa last month when the visitors scored a combined two runs. Article content Article content The following are three takeaways on a night Kevin Gausman issued a free pass to lead off the third inning, his fourth walk of the game, as a few borderline calls went against him. Gausman's season-high for walks in a single game is five. Article content 1. High five Article content Entering Friday night, the Jays had gone 5-1. Article content While they have feasted on left-handers, Ranger Suarez had the Jays on their heels. Article content Article content Suarez was in control, yielding three hits through six innings, which included an infield hit. Article content Two of those base knocks were to Alejandro Kirk, who is as hot as any hitter. Article content Through six innings, Suarez struck out six. Article content A big reason for Toronto's recent surge has been tied to its offence, helping the Jays improve their record to 38-30 entering Friday. Article content Good pitching, it's been said, often beats good hitting. Article content He gave up his fourth hit when Ernie Clement reached base on a one-out single in the seventh inning. Article content Article content He allowed the Jays to get their first runner in scoring position following a two-out walk to Davis Schneider, who reached base on a fifth-inning single. Article content
National Post
5 hours ago
- National Post
Players failed to confirm woman's consent, Crown says as closing arguments end at Hockey Canada trial
'Myths and stereotypes' about sexual assault shouldn't have had a place at the trial of five 2018 Team Canada world junior hockey players, but the Crown on Friday said they have taken centre stage. Article content At the end of the prosecution's lengthy closing argument, Crown attorney Meaghan Cunningham said the defence teams' strategies relied heavily on attacking the credibility of the 27-year-old woman who says she was sexually assaulted in a London hotel room seven years ago – instead of addressing evolving legal standards around consent. Article content Article content 'Relying on myths and stereotypes to discredit sexual assault complainants is an error of law,' Cunningham said to Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia. Article content Article content The Crown has argued the men who had sexual contact with the woman inside Michael McLeod's room at the Delta Armouries hotel in London on June 19, 2018, did not obtain the legal consent and should be found guilty. However, Cunningham said the defence leaned on victim-blaming, painting the woman – who was 20 at the time – as someone who 'abandoned restraint' and offered sex to the men in Room 209. Article content Cunningham said it is a stereotype that 'women signal their sexual availability by drinking and going out and getting drunk and dancing and flirting on the dance floor, that all of these things make it more likely that she also chose to engage in sexual activity with the men back at the hotel. Article content 'It's not only a myth, but I submit it is not what happened here on the evidence.' Article content McLeod, 26, Carter Hart, 26, Dillon Dube, 26, Alex Formenton, 25, and Cal Foote, 26, have each pleaded not guilty to sexual assault. McLeod has also pleaded not guilty to a second charge of sexual assault for being a party to the offence. Article content Article content The case surrounds a night of partying in London on June 18 and 19, 2018, when the Canadian world junior team was in the city for a Hockey Canada gala and golf tournament celebrating the team's gold medal months earlier. Article content McLeod and the woman met at Jack's bar on Richmond Row and returned to his hotel room for consensual sex. What happened after is at the heart of the trial. Article content The woman has testified that when she emerged naked from the bathroom, she found a group of players in the room invited by McLeod for sexual activities. Article content Along with being drunk, the woman said she had a trauma response and felt her mind separate from her body to cope with the demands of the men who directed her to participate in several sexual activities. The Crown says the woman was vulnerable, outnumbered and went along with what happened. Article content The defence has pointed to the woman as the aggressor and instigator of the sexual activity, first masturbating in front of them while on a bedsheet spread on the floor, then begging and taunting the men for sex. Some took her up on her offers and insist she consented to the activities.
