Summer McIntosh Crushes 4:29.12 400 IM, Becomes Third-Fastest Swimmer in History
At the Tokyo Olympics, Summer McIntosh jump-started her international career by finishing fourth in the 400 freestyle and ninth in the 200 free before leading off Canada’s fourth-place team in the 800 free relay. She was just 14 at the time, and she appeared to be a bourgeoning star in the mid-distance freestyle events. Then, during her debut season in the International Swimming League, McIntosh showed some versatility beyond the freestyle events, and those skills were displayed for the world to see Friday as she posted a stunning effort in the 400-meter IM.
McIntosh, now 15, is competing at Canada’s 2022 Trials Selection Prep Invite in Toronto (in the pool where she trains), and in the 400 IM prelims Friday, she swam a time of 4:37.83 to lob more than 12 seconds off her lifetime best. Then, in the final, McIntosh blasted a 4:29.12, another 8.5 seconds off her best time, and the performance made her the third-fastest swimmer in history in the event.
The only swimmers to ever swim faster are Katinka Hosszu (4:26.46) and Ye Shiwen (4:28.43), and the time is quicker than any ever recorded outside of the Olympic Games (in 2012 and 2016). McIntosh was also almost three seconds ahead of the 4:32.08 that Yui Ohashi swam while winning gold in the 400 IM at the Tokyo Olympics last year. McIntosh joins Hosszu, Ye, Stephanie Rice and Kirsty Coventry as the only swimmers to ever break 4:30 in the 400 IM, and she is the first to accomplish that feat since 2017.
When McIntosh burst onto the scene last year and nearly won an Olympic medal, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that she would soon be chasing spots on the top of the podium at major meets in the freestyle events, but her enormous improvement in the 400 IM will cement her status as a favorite in this event for the entire slate of 2022’s international meets.
Also at the first day of the meet, Kylie Masse prevailed in the women’s 100 back with a time of 59.25 seconds. Second was Ashley McMillan in an even 1:00.00.
Javier Acevedo and Finlay Knox threw down a tremendous race in the men’s 100 back, Acevedo getting to the wall first in 55.83 on the back of a 28.10 finishing 50. Knox was second in 55.96.
In a battle of top Canadian sprinters, Josh Liendo outdueled Yuri Kisil. Liendo won in 22.29, topping fellow Olympian Kisil’s 22.87. Kayla Sanchez, the only non-teen in the A final of the women’s 50 free, got the win in 25.40. She had gone 25.15 in prelims.
How would she go against Liar Thomas