Summer McIntosh celebrates her World Record performance in the women's 400-metre Individual Medley at the Canadian swimming trials in Toronto on Saturday, April 1, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
TORONTO – Summer McIntosh set her second senior world record in five days, winning the 400-metre individual medley in 4:25.87 at the 2023 Canadian swimming trials on Saturday night.
The old record of 4:26.36 was set by Katinka Hosszu of Hungary at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
A huge crowd at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre roared their support as McIntosh swam the final metres of the race.
“That’s the first time I really, vividly heard the crowd during my race,” said McIntosh, who waved at the crowd after climbing out of the pool.
“It’s amazing to have all my family and friends in the stands, cheering me on. It really helped me in the last 100 metres.
McIntosh, a 16-year-old Toronto native, set the world record in the 400-m freestyle on Tuesday’s opening night of the trials, winning the race in 3:56.08. That broke the old mark 3:56.40 set in May by Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus of Australia.
McIntosh is the first swimmer to ever hold long course world records in both the 400 IM and 400 free. She is the first Canadian since 1984 (Alex Baumann) and first Canadian woman since 1967 (Elaine Tanner) to hold two long course world records.
The Etobicoke Swim Club product, who trains with the Sarasota Sharks in Florida, just missed setting a world record in the 200 individual medley Thursday night. She won the race in 2:06.89, shattering the junior world standard and just off the world record time of 2:06.12.
She cruised to victory again Friday night, winning the 200-m butterfly in 2:04.70, lowering her own world junior and Canadian mark of 2:05.05.
McIntosh will be part of the Swimming Canada team that will compete at the World Aquatics Championships July 14-30 in Fukuoka, Japan.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2023.
