Summer McIntosh Sets a New World Record in 400m Medley

Summer McIntosh broke her own 400 medley record at the Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria on Wednesday, setting her third world record in as many days with a time of 4 minutes 23.65 seconds.

With a strong performance, the 18-year-old Canadian prodigy, who has won three Olympic gold medals, set yet another noteworthy record ahead of the World Championships in Singapore next month.

The teenager essentially time-trialled her way to the record while the rest of the field attempted to catch up after opening with a crushing 59.18 split in the butterfly and never looking back.

Mary-Sophie Harvey finished second in 4:35.56, just 12 seconds behind.

McIntosh now holds the three fastest timings in event history thanks to her performance. “The race I’ve come close to mastering for myself,” she said of the 400-meter individual medley.

After setting the third-fastest 800-meter freestyle record in history on Sunday, she returned to the pool on Monday and destroyed the ten-year-old 200-meter medley world record held by the legendary Katinka Hosszu of Hungary.

McIntosh, who won gold in the 200-meter butterfly, 200-meter medley, and 400-meter medley at the Olympics in Paris last year, will now compete at the world championships next month with the goal of adding to her already impressive collection of four gold medals.

McIntosh will tentatively compete in those five events at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore in July and August.