It’s not every day that a 16-year-old shatters a world record, but that’s exactly what Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh accomplished at the country’s Olympic trials. In a stunning performance, McIntosh finished the 400-meter freestyle race in just 4:02.72, besting the previous world record time and securing her spot at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. With her impressive achievement, McIntosh has quickly become a rising star in the world of swimming, inspiring awe and admiration from athletes and fans alike.
The Canadian Swimming Trials in 2023 witnessed a remarkable feat as 16-year-old Summer McIntosh broke the World Record in the women’s 400 meter free event. She swam an impressive 3:56.08, knocking over three-tenths off the previous World Record set by Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus. By doing so, McIntosh also broke Titmus’ Commonwealth Record, her own Canadian Record, and Katie Ledecky’s World Junior Record. This marked her first World Record, adding to her achievements of winning a silver medal in this race at the 2022 World Championships and World Championships in the 400 IM and 200 fly.
McIntosh started strong, pushing the pace aggressively in the first half of the race, and was already seven-tenths up on the World Record pace at the 100. She was more than a second ahead of the World Record pace by the halfway mark but had to give some of that back on the back-half of the race. Nonetheless, she finished strong and broke the record with a comfortable margin. McIntosh, who previously trained under Ben Titley at the Swimming Canada High Performance Group in Canada, is now training full-time with the Sarasota Sharks in Sarasota, Florida. She is scheduled to swim the 200 IM, 200 fly, 400 IM, and 200 free later in the meet.
Summer McIntosh’s performance at the Canadian Trials is a testament to the hard work and dedication she has put into her swimming career. At the young age of 16, she has already broken a world record and is set to represent Canada at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. McIntosh’s potential is limitless, and fans around the world will be eagerly watching as she continues to make waves in the swimming world. With her talent and drive, there is no doubt that she will continue to break barriers and make history. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this incredible young athlete.
