Canadian swimmer breaks 400-metre world record

Canadian three-time Olympic champion Summer McIntosh set a world record in the women's 400 metres freestyle at the Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria, British Columbia, on June 7.

The 18-year-old clocked 3:54.18 to better Australian Ariarne Titmus' mark of 3:55.38 set at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

"Going into tonight, I knew that my training has been really good these past few months, and I knew that I could do something special," McIntosh told Canadian public broadcaster CBC.

"So being able to input my training in doing that - I didn't think my training would be 54.1 but I'm really happy with that."

At the Paris Olympics, McIntosh became the first athlete from Canada to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games.

In Paris, the four-times World Aquatics champion won gold in the 400 metres individual medley, 200 butterfly and 200 individual medley, as well as taking silver in the 400 freestyle.

But things felt different at the Canada trials.

"I just felt so strong throughout, and that's never been the case in the 400 freestyle for me. That last 100, I'm always really, really hurting.

"But I flipped at the 200 and I was just cruising, so I knew that I was having a strong swim. I could tell by the crowd and knew the way they were cheering that I was probably close to the world record.

"So I really tried to push that last part for them."

For the record, Summer McIntosh is widely regarded as one of the most promising talents in international swimming. Born in 2006 in Toronto, she rose to prominence at a young age, qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics at just 14 years old.

She claimed global attention with her performances at the 2022 and 2023 World Aquatics Championships, winning four world titles across various strokes and distances.

At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, McIntosh made history by becoming the first Canadian athlete to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games, earning victories in the 400 metres individual medley, 200 metres butterfly, and 200 metres individual medley, along with a silver in the 400 metres freestyle.

By Khagan Isayev