McIntosh smashes Canadian record, lowers world junior mark in women's 200m individual medley

Canadian swimming sensation Summer McIntosh won her third race of the 2023 Pro Swim Series event in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Saturday, clocking a record-setting time of 2:08.08 in the women's 200-metre individual medley.

16-year-old sensation from Toronto breaks Sydney Pickrem's record from 2019

Summer McIntosh swims the butterfly wearing a red swimsuit, goggles and a black swim cap.
Canada's Summer McIntosh won her third race of the 2023 Pro Swim Series event in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Saturday, clocking a record-setting time of 2:08.08 in the women's 200-metre individual medley. (@SwimmingCanada/Twitter)

Canadian swimming sensation Summer McIntosh can't stop winning.

On Saturday, the 16-year-old from Toronto won the women's 200-metre individual medley at the 2023 Pro Swim Series event in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., — her third record-setting victory of the competition.

She swam the distance in 2:08.08, smashing Sydney Pickrem's Canadian record of 2:08.61 set in 2019, and lowering her world junior record of 2:08.70 from last season.

McIntosh won the 200m butterfly on Thursday and the 200m freestyle on Friday — snapping American star Katie Ledecky's nine-year domestic win streak.

''Records are meant to be broken, and to be part of history is very exciting,'' McIntosh said. ''I try not to focus on it, but it's nice to see how I measure against girls in the past.''

While McIntosh took the top spot, she was joined by four other Canadians in the final, with Mary-Sophie Harvey of Trois-Rivieres, Que., finishing second with a time of 2:11.94. American Katie Grimes captured the final podium spot. 

Winnipeg's Kelsey Wog finished fifth with a time of 2:15.38, while Bailey Andison of Smiths Falls, Ont., touched the wall in 2:16.01 for sixth place.

Georgetown, Ont., native Tess Cieplucha rounded off the final with an eighth-place finish and time of 2:17.91.

Wog finishes 2nd in 200m breaststroke

The 200m IM wasn't the only race for Wog on Saturday, as she picked up a second-place finish in the women's 200m breaststroke, clocking 2:25.49 while finishing behind world champion Lilly King of the United States. Fellow American Annie Lazor finished third. 

Canadian swimmers also continued their top form in the women's 100m butterfly, with Katerine Savard finishing second after swimming the distance in 58.63. Meanwhile, Ella Jansen set a personal best of 58.92, good for third place.

In the men's 100m butterfly, Montreal's Ilya Kharun led the Canadian contingent with a second-place finish and time of 51.54, trailing American Shaine Casas, who won in 50.80. 

In the men's 200m IM, Finlay Knox of Okotoks, Alta., finished third with a time of 2:01.02, while fellow Canadians Javier Acevedo and Brayden Taivassalo finished sixth in the 100m backstroke and 200m breaststroke, respectively.

The Canadian swimmers are working toward July's 2023 world aquatics championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ben Steiner

Associate Producer

Ben Steiner is a sports journalist and commentator with experience covering the Olympics, U SPORTS, alpine skiing, athletics, and Canada's National Soccer Teams. After growing up in Vancouver, he is now based in Toronto. Twitter: @BenSteiner00

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