The Canadian Swimming Trials continue to showcase some of the country’s most talented swimmers with Summer McIntosh leading the way. Already setting world records in the 200m and 800m freestyle events, she has now added another impressive achievement in the 400m individual medley. McIntosh’s continued dominance in the pool serves as a testament to her remarkable talent and potential for a bright future in the sport. Let’s dive into the details of her latest record-breaking swim.
Summer McIntosh, a 16-year-old swimmer from Toronto, has broken Katinka Hosszú’s seven-year record in the 400-metre individual medley at the Canadian swimming trials in Toronto. McIntosh powered her way to a time of 4:25.87 and broke Hosszú’s record of 4:26:36, set in August 2016. With this record-breaking swim, McIntosh successfully added another world record to her name, becoming the first Canadian woman since Elaine Tanner in 1967 to hold two long course world records simultaneously. Her previous best time was 4:28.61, which she set in December 2020. On Tuesday, she broke the world record in the 400m freestyle, and on Friday, she broke the Canadian record in the 200m butterfly. During the majority of the race, McIntosh was under the world record pace but fell behind the pace after the breaststroke. After 350m, she was half a second behind the record, but she finished half a second ahead of the world record.
McIntosh’s father and sister were present in the crowd and were thrilled to witness the historic moment. The swimmer’s closing freestyle split was 29.69, and after her win, she said, “Breaststroke is definitely my weakest stroke, and I knew that. In the freestyle, I always like to look at the clock and I think I saw 26.1 or something, and I thought, just go, go crazy.” McIntosh called the 400m IM one of the toughest events in swimming and added, “I just gave it everything I got and I knew it would be close.” The swimmer now plans on competing in the 200m freestyle on Sunday night.
As the Canadian swimming trials come to a close, Summer McIntosh has left her mark with another impressive world record in the 400m individual medley. With a bright future ahead, there is no doubt that this talented swimmer will continue to dominate the sport and inspire young athletes across the country. We can’t wait to see what she achieves next on the world stage!
