Summer McIntosh, Kate Douglass and Gretchen Walsh set world record times on opening day of short course World Championships

Canadian Summer McIntosh and American Kate Douglass are off to the races – literally – after setting world records on the opening day of the 2024 World Aquatics Short Course Swimming World Championships (25m) in Budapest, Hungary.

McIntosh, who claimed three gold medals (200m butterfly, 200m IM, 400m IM) earlier this year at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, set a world record in the women’s 400m freestyle Tuesday (10 December), clocking a 3:50.25 for gold. Australia’s Lani Pallister (3:53.73) and Canada’s Mary-Sophie Harvey (3:54.88) rounded out the podium.

The previous 400m short course record was held by the People’s Republic of China’s Li Bingjie.

Douglass, the Paris 200m breaststroke champion, swam a 2:01.63 for a world record time in the women’s 200m IM final. That put her more than a second ahead of compatriot Alex Walsh, who touched the wall at 2:02.65. Team GB’s Abbie Wood (2:02.75) was the bronze medallist.

Hungary's Katinka Hosszú had held the world record in the discipline since 2014 with a 2:01.86.

Gretchen Walsh twice improved the world record in the 50m butterfly. After swimming 24.02 in the morning heats, she managd a 23.94 in the evening semifinals. The old mark was 24.38 from 2009.

Tunisa's Ahmed Jaouadi took the 1500m freestyle in 14:16.40, while American Shaine Casas grabbed the title in the men’s 200m IM final. Casas’s 1:49.51 was an American and course record time.

The Americans won both the men’s (3:01.66) and women’s (3:25.01) 4x100m freestyle relay finals, with each quartet finishing in world record times.

Competition in Budapest continues Wednesday with five finals, including the women’s 800m freestyle and the men’s 100m backstroke.

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