One World Junior Record in the short-course version of the 400-meter freestyle was not enough for Canadian 16-year-old Summer McIntosh, as she added another WJR to her collection during the second night of the FINA World Cup stop in Toronto. Winning the 400-meter individual medley by nearly seven seconds, McIntosh posted a time of 4:21.49 to easily erase the 10-year-old mark of 4:23.33. That time was set by China’s Ye Shiwen, who was the 2012 Olympic champion in the event.
On the opening night of the Toronto leg, McIntosh delivered a sensational performance in the 400 freestyle, rallying past Katie Ledecky on the final lap to set a WJR of 3:52.80. With that showing, it became apparent that McIntosh was in superb form and would likely add a few more eye-opening swims. It only took until the first final of the evening for that premonition to be confirmed.
Dueling with American Hali Flickinger on the opening butterfly leg, McIntosh took command on the backstroke and was actually under world-record pace through the 200-meter mark. While she fell off the pace on the breaststroke leg, McIntosh continued to press the WJR. As she entered the final lap, there was no question whether she would get the mark. It was a matter by how much. Her time is the 11th-fastest in history, the top-10 marks split between Mireia Belmonte and Katinka Hosszu.
McIntosh split 59.71 at the 100-meter checkpoint, came through the midway point in 2:05.27 and was timed in 3:21.83 at the 300 meters.
McIntosh used this past summer to elevate her status in the sport’s hierarchy of stars. At the World Championships in Budapest, she claimed gold medals in the 400 individual medley and 200 butterfly, and added a silver medal in the 400 freestyle. She followed with a six-medal haul at the Commonwealth Games, including solo crowns in the 200 IM and 400 IM. Now, she is flashing her skill in the short-course pool.
The Canadians enjoyed a sweep of the podium, thanks to a silver medal from Sydney Pickrem in 4:28.45 and third-place finish by Bailey Andison in 4:29.36.