Summer McIntosh sets another world record at Canadian swimming trials, this time in 400m individual medley
16-year-old from Toronto breaks Katinka Hosszú’s 7-year record with time of 4:25.87
Summer McIntosh has broken another world record at the national swimming trials.
It's her second world record this week at the place they call the fastest pool in Canada.
She is the first Canadian woman since Elaine Tanner in 1967 to hold two long course world records.
With her family in the crowd and many more fans cheering wildly inside the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, McIntosh powered her way to a time of 4:25.87 in the 400-metre individual medley to break Katinka Hosszú's seven-year record.
Hosszú's time of 4:26:36 was set in August 2016.
WATCH | McIntosh sets world record in 400m individual medley:
"It's obviously really amazing and I'm happy to get another world record. Right now I'm just thinking about my legs. The 400m IM is one of the toughest events out there so going into tonight, whatever the time was, the time would be," McIntosh told CBC Sports.
"Just tried to do my best and whatever that is I would be happy with it."
McIntosh is the first swimmer in history to hold both the 400m freestyle and 400m individual medley long course world records at the same time.
Before Saturday night's world record swim, her previous best time and national record was 4:28.61. That was set in December of last year.
Throughout the majority of the race on Saturday night McIntosh was under world record pace but fell behind it after the breaststroke.
After 350m she was half a second behind the record and finished half a second ahead of the world record. Her closing freestyle split was 29.69.
"Breaststroke is definitely my weakest stroke and I knew that. I know in training I need to improve on that. In the freestyle I always like to look at the clock and I think I saw 26.1 or something and I thought, just go, go crazy," she said.
"I just gave it everything I got and I knew it would be close."
Greg, Jill and Summer's sister Brooke were jumping up and down and hugging each other as she touched the wall.
"For them to all be in the stands, I think this is the first time my sister has watched me compete in so long and I'm so grateful for her to witness this moment with me and enjoy it together. I can't wait to see her later," McIntosh said.
It was the largest crowd so far on day five of the trials. McIntosh says it helped her get this world record time.
"I could definitely hear the crowd on the breaststroke. I just needed to go, go, go. I didn't think about anything else, just get my hand on the wall as fast as I could," she said.
'I left it all in the pool'
As she soaked up the moment on the pool deck, McIntosh was wincing in pain after the race.
"I'm so numb. The pain is so bad I can't even process it yet. I just wanted to get through that race. I left it all in the pool," McIntosh said.
WATCH | Experience McIntosh's 2nd world record poolside, with her family in the stands:
A night earlier, McIntosh set a world junior and Canadian record in the 200m butterfly.
Her time of 2:04.70 took down her previous record time (2:05.05) set earlier this month. McIntosh's smooth, powerful strokes helped her surge to the wall in a blistering time, once again electrifying the crowd.
She has been called a once in a generation talent and is certainly living up to that billing right now.
WATCH | McIntosh claims Canadian record time in 200m butterfly:
On Tuesday, opening night of trials, the swimming sensation broke the world record in the 400m freestyle. McIntosh stopped the clock in a time of 3:56.08, breaking the world record held by Ariarne Titmus of Australia.
On Thursday night, McIntosh broke her own world junior record in the 200m individual medley. Her time of 2:06.89 yesterday would have won gold at worlds last summer.
And her time also would have won gold at the Tokyo Olympics by more than a second.
She'll finish the trials competition by swimming the 200m freestyle on Sunday night.
WATCH | Relive McIntosh breaking world record in 400m freestyle:
Other results
Kylie Masse won the women's 200 backstroke earlier on Saturday in 2:07.13 — the third-fastest time in the world this year.
The 27-year-old from LaSalle, Ont., holds the Canadian record in the event (2:05.42), which she set while claiming Olympic silver in Tokyo.
Kylie Masse kicks the night off with a win in the women's 200m backstroke <br><br>Watch LIVE: <a href="https://t.co/8dukHNvjwd">https://t.co/8dukHNvjwd</a> <a href="https://t.co/y6SCitpImI">pic.twitter.com/y6SCitpImI</a>
—@CBCOlympicsPara swimmer Nicholas Bennett won his third event at trials, topping the podium in the men's 200 individual medley multi-class.
Other Para winners Saturday were Tess Routliffe in the women's 200 individual medley multi-class (3:07.21) and Jordan Tucker in the women's 150 individual medley multi-class (3:50.52).
Lorne Wigginton claimed gold in the men's 400 individual medley with a time of 4:16.14, while Hugh McNeill won the men's 200 backstroke in 1:58.07.
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With files from CBC Sports
