Summer McIntosh smashes 400m freestyle swimming world record
The 16-year-old continues her meteoric rise in the sport by breaking a record at Canada's swimming trials in Toronto that was previously held by Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky
Swimming
Summer McIntosh continued her meteoric rise in swimming by breaking the women’s 400m freestyle world record at the Canadian trials on Tuesday (28 March).
The 16-year-old stopped the clock in 3.56.08 in Toronto, knocking 0.32 off the previous record. That had been set by Australian's reigning Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus, who took her record off reigning world champion Katie Ledecky.
Subsequently, McIntosh is also now the Canadian, Commonwealth, and World Junior Record holder in the event - taking the last two accolades off Titmus and Ledecky respectively.
“Going into tonight, I didn’t think the world record was a possibility, but you never know,” Florida-based McIntosh told reporters after breaking her first world record in Toronto.
The giant trio of women's freestyle swimming could all meet in the 400m free at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan this July, before another possible showdown at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
It was the latest achievement in what has been a stellar 2023 so far for McIntosh, who broke three junior world records in three days at the TYR Pro Swim Series earlier this month.
The most difficult choice for the aquatic prodigy going forward could be which events to focus on given her impressive versatility.
She is also the world champion in the 400m individual medley and the 200m butterfly after taking out those titles in Budapest, aged just 15.
McIntosh, whose mother swam at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984, became the youngest individual world champion in swimming since Shiwen Ye in 2011.