Paris Olympics: En Route to 200 Butterfly Gold, Summer McIntosh Delivered Best Female Swim Performance of Games

Paris Olympics: En Route to 200 Butterfly Gold, Summer McIntosh Delivered Best Female Performance of Games

The date: October 21, 2009. The site: Jinan, China. The meet: The Chinese National Games. The reaction: How fast did she go? Wait. Repeat that.

When Chinese star Liu Zige clocked 2:01.81 in the 200-meter butterfly, the performance necessitated serious digestion. It didn’t make sense. After all, Liu lowered the world record by an astounding 1.60 seconds. The swim was quicker than what the legendary Mark Spitz went just before his iconic showing at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

The 2008 Olympic champion in the 200 butterfly, Liu produced her other-worldly standard in one of the polyurethane super suits that shredded the record book during the 2008 and 2009 campaigns. More, she registered the outing just before the January 1, 2010 deadline that banned the technology. It remains – arguably – the most-daunting world record in existence.

So, why the discussion of Liu? Because Summer McIntosh is creeping closer to doing what has been deemed impossible.

McIntosh was one of the stars of the Olympic Games in Paris, the Canadian teenager capturing three gold medals and a silver medal. But it was her effort in the 200 butterfly that stood out most and has been selected by Swimming World as the Best Female Performance of the Paris Games.

The truth is, McIntosh could have earned this honor for what she accomplished in the 200 individual medley and 400 individual medley, as both events yielded gold medals. In the 400 medley, McIntosh claimed a five-plus second triumph over American Katie Grimes. In the 200 IM, she prevailed in what might have been the most-competitive event of the Games, a swim of 2:06.56 setting Olympic and World Junior records.

Yet, the 200 butterfly earned the Best Female Performance nod for the way McIntosh closed the gap on Liu’s world record.

Behind a showing of 2:03.03, McIntosh established an Olympic record and posted the No. 2 mark in history, trailing only Liu’s world record. Sure, the Canadian remains 1.22 adrift of the global standard, but it is critical to note that she shaved .83 off the previous textile best in the event, the 2:03.86 that China’s Zhang Yufei delivered to win gold at the 2020 Olympics.

The way the 200 fly unfolded in Paris required a stunning performance from McIntosh. While the Canadian posted the second-fastest swim of all-time, the United States’ Regan Smith established a national record of 2:03.84, which moved the 22-year-old to No. 4 on the all-time chart.

McIntosh put together a measured and perfectly managed race at La Defense Arena. After covering the opening lap in 27.38 and going through the midway point in 58.97, McIntosh sat behind Zhang, who was timed at those junctures in 27.08 and 58.81. The Canadian’s back half was something to behold.

A third-lap split of 31.73 propelled McIntosh into the lead and set her up for the homecoming length. Down the last 50, McIntosh was timed in 32.33, and while Smith split 32.34 and moved into second place, the early margin between the pair proved to be the difference.

The 200 butterfly held significance from a family standpoint. McIntosh’s mother, Jill Horstead, was a 1984 Canadian Olympian in the event, and earned bronze medals in the 200 fly at the 1985 Pan Pacific Championships and the 1986 Commonwealth Games.

“It’s pretty cool winning the 200 fly because that, by far, was her main event,” McIntosh said of her mother. “So, to share that moment with her is pretty cool. I know she is so proud of me along with the rest of my family. I can’t thank them enough.”

With two world championships and an Olympic crown secured in the 200 fly, McIntosh can next chase an obvious target: Liu’s world record, where the chasm is closing.

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Jennifer

4 months ago

Pretty sure her previous PB was a 2:04.0 so she lowered that by a whole second. Another 1.22 seconds doesn’t seem impossible…