Canadian star Summer McIntosh sets yet another record at the U.S. Open swimming championship
While the majority of teenagers are occupied with computer games, Summer McIntosh, a "Teen from Toronto," is busy setting and shattering records in the pool.
At the Toyota U.S. Open Championship 2022, Summer McIntosh set a new junior world record in the women's 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4:28.61.
The Record Breaker - Summer McIntosh
McIntosh is the daughter of former Canadian Olympic swimmer Jill Horstead and Greg McIntosh. Competitive pair skater Brooke is her older sister.
In Tokyo 2020, Summer McIntosh made her Olympic debut at the age of 14.
In March, she became only the sixth woman to swim a mile in under four minutes. In June, she added a world title to her resume.
Less than two months later, at the Commonwealth Games, she lowered the world junior record to 4:29.01 in a golden swim. In 4:41.85, Kathryn Hazle finished third, followed by American Emma Weyant (4:47.56).
McIntosh touched the wall in four minutes and 28.61 seconds, the fourth-fastest time in the history of the event, breaking her previous mark of 4:29.01 set at the Commonwealth Games last summer. A month before the Commonwealth Games, she won the event's gold medal at the international championships.
Summer McIntosh joined Olympic gold medalists Ye Shiwen and Katinka Hosszu under the 4:29-mark on Friday night at the U.S. Open in Greensboro, North Carolina.
McIntosh clocked a speed of 59.40 for the opening 100 meters of the butterfly race, finishing 4.5 seconds faster than the nearest competitor and 1.5 seconds slower than the world record.
She swam below the split record after turning in a time of 2:08.20 at the halfway point of the backstroke, although she fell significantly behind in the breaststroke.
Close encounter with Katie Ledecky
The night before creating history, Summer McIntosh tested Katie Ledecky, a great American swimmer, in the 400-meter freestyle final.
Ledecky and McIntosh competed stroke-for-stroke throughout the race before the American won in 3:59.71, just ahead of the Canadian, who came in at 3:59.78. Before this, McIntosh had only ever gone under four minutes three times in her career.
Ledecky and McIntosh were tied at 300 meters. In the end, Katie Ledecky won the 400-meter or longer freestyle race in the American pools, clocking a time of 3:59.71 against McIntosh's 3:59.79.
McIntosh shines everywhere
At the global championships in June, the adolescent won gold in the 200-meter butterfly, gold in the 400-meter individual medley, and silver in the 400-meter freestyle. McIntosh won bronze in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay at the World Championships.
McIntosh later participated and won six medals, including two golds, at the Commonwealth Games.
The U.S. Open swimming tournament began on Wednesday and ended on Saturday. Many Olympians, world champion swimmers, and a few Canadian athletes have descended upon the tournament from all around the United States. So did Summer McIntosh.
However, she lost to Katie Ledecky. But she won the 400M individual medley with a time of 4:28.61. Not only did she win a gold medal at the event, but she also set a new world junior record. Summer McIntosh's time not only established a new junior world mark but also records for the Americas and the Commonwealth. The speed was the fourth-fastest in recorded history.