Summer McIntosh smashes women’s 400m freestyle world record at Canadian swim trials
Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh made history on Saturday night by smashing the women’s 400-metre freestyle world record at the national swimming trials in Victoria. With a remarkable time of three minutes 54.18 seconds, McIntosh surpassed the previous record set by Australia’s Ariarne Titmus in 2023.
In an interview with CBC’s Devin Heroux, McIntosh expressed her surprise at her own performance, stating, “Going into tonight I knew that my training had been strong the past couple months and I knew I was able to do something special, but I did not think I would be that fast.” Becoming the first woman ever to swim under 3:55.00, McIntosh’s world-record swim left even the three-time Olympic champion in awe. She shared, “I was really not expecting that time. Just seeing the time after two years of really pushing my hardest every day… and then finally having an amazing swim in it is really satisfying.”
After learning that American swimming icon Michael Phelps was the last person to set a world record in the same Victoria pool, McIntosh expressed her admiration for him, calling him the greatest of all time. Looking ahead, McIntosh still has several races to compete in, including the women’s 800m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 200m butterfly, and both the 200m and 400m individual medleys. She expressed her excitement for the upcoming challenges, stating, “I’m really excited to see what I can do the next couple of days.”
In addition to McIntosh’s record-breaking performance, other swimmers also shone at the trials. Kylie Masse, a five-time Olympic medallist, triumphed in the women’s 100m backstroke with a time of 58.18 seconds, beating her own previous record. Reflecting on her win, Masse shared that this year had been different for her, emphasizing the importance of balancing work and personal life.
Mary-Sophie Harvey, from Laval, Quebec, secured her first trials win by winning the women’s 200m breaststroke in a personal-best time of 2:23.40. She expressed her happiness at achieving this milestone, stating, “I’ve never won an event at trials. I think I’ve had so many second places, and I never thought it would be the 200 breaststroke for the first one. I’m pretty happy where I’m at right now.”
The trials also saw victories from swimmers like Oliver Dawson, Cole Pratt, Ethan Ekk, Aly Van Wyck-Smart, Ali Diehl, and Nicholas Bennett in various events. The coverage of the national swimming trials in Victoria continues on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem, offering fans the opportunity to witness more thrilling performances from the country’s top swimmers.
Meanwhile, in the U.S. Swimming Championships in Indianapolis, Katie Ledecky dominated the women’s 1500 meters, earning her third national title of the week. Despite falling short of her own world record, Ledecky’s impressive performance solidified her status as one of the top swimmers in the world.
As the swimming season continues to unfold, fans can expect more outstanding performances and record-breaking feats from these talented athletes.
