Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh delivered a sensational performance by smashing the women’s 400m freestyle world record at the Canadian Swimming Trials with a timing of 3min 54.18sec in Montreal on Saturday.
The young swimming prodigy stunned fans and competitors alike with her blazing speed and impeccable technique, eclipsing the previous mark held by Australia's Ariarne Titmus.
This is an ominous sign for McIntosh, a three-time Olympic gold medallist and former world record-holder in the event, just a month ahead of this year's World Championships in Singapore.
McIntosh shattered the existing world record of 3:55.38, which was established by Titmus during the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, surpassing it by more than a full second.
"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," the 18-year-old star said. "I mean, I didn't think my training would be 54.1, but I'm really happy with that overall."
McIntosh's performance was remarkable as she achieved unprecedented success by completing each lap under 30 seconds, becoming the first woman to accomplish this feat. The Canadian's impressive split timings were: 27.22, 29.73, 29.61, 29.86, 29.62, 29.61, 29.47, 29.06.
Taking a break following her successful defence of the 400 metres freestyle title at the Paris Olympics last year, Titmus is unable to respond immediately to McIntosh's remarkable performance that shattered her previous world record.
Titmus maintains an undefeated record against McIntosh in head-to-head 400m competitions, securing victories with gold medals in Paris last year and Tokyo in 2021. However, the Canadian swimmer stands as her most significant challenger in the quest for a third consecutive Olympic triumph at Los Angeles in 2028.
McIntosh was just 17 when she secured victories in three events at the 2024 Paris Games, clinching gold medals in the 200m butterfly, 200m medley and 400m medley. She is now preparing to compete in Singapore with the aim of expanding her impressive collection of four world championship titles.
The young swimming prodigy stunned fans and competitors alike with her blazing speed and impeccable technique, eclipsing the previous mark held by Australia's Ariarne Titmus.
This is an ominous sign for McIntosh, a three-time Olympic gold medallist and former world record-holder in the event, just a month ahead of this year's World Championships in Singapore.
McIntosh shattered the existing world record of 3:55.38, which was established by Titmus during the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, surpassing it by more than a full second.
"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," the 18-year-old star said. "I mean, I didn't think my training would be 54.1, but I'm really happy with that overall."
McIntosh's performance was remarkable as she achieved unprecedented success by completing each lap under 30 seconds, becoming the first woman to accomplish this feat. The Canadian's impressive split timings were: 27.22, 29.73, 29.61, 29.86, 29.62, 29.61, 29.47, 29.06.
Taking a break following her successful defence of the 400 metres freestyle title at the Paris Olympics last year, Titmus is unable to respond immediately to McIntosh's remarkable performance that shattered her previous world record.
Titmus maintains an undefeated record against McIntosh in head-to-head 400m competitions, securing victories with gold medals in Paris last year and Tokyo in 2021. However, the Canadian swimmer stands as her most significant challenger in the quest for a third consecutive Olympic triumph at Los Angeles in 2028.
McIntosh was just 17 when she secured victories in three events at the 2024 Paris Games, clinching gold medals in the 200m butterfly, 200m medley and 400m medley. She is now preparing to compete in Singapore with the aim of expanding her impressive collection of four world championship titles.
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