Summer McIntosh Kicks Off Historic Gold Medal Quest in Singapore
It’s been an electrifying start to the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, and all eyes are on Canada’s swimming sensation, Summer McIntosh. The 18-year-old from Toronto just took the first major step in her ambitious quest for five gold medals at this meet, and she did it in dominant fashion.
On Sunday, McIntosh led the women’s 400-metre freestyle from start to finish, clocking in at an impressive 3:56.26. That win marked her first world title in this specific event and brought her career gold medal tally at long-course world championships to five. With this victory, she also earned her ninth world championship medal overall—putting her in elite company and tying her with Canadian legends Kylie Masse and Penny Oleksiak for the most career medals at long-course worlds by a Canadian swimmer.
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But the night didn’t end there for McIntosh. Barely thirty minutes after stepping off the podium, she was already back in the pool for the 200-metre individual medley semifinal. And once again, she delivered. Her time of 2:07.39 not only qualified her for Monday’s final but also earned her the top spot going in. McIntosh, who already holds world records in both the 400 freestyle and 200 IM, called this her biggest night of the championship so far—and it’s only just beginning.
Meanwhile, Mary-Sophie Harvey from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, also secured a spot in the 200 IM final with a time of 2:10.19. While not her personal best, Harvey remains optimistic, saying she has 24 hours to adjust and get closer to her trial time of 2:08.78 as she eyes the podium.
On the men’s side, there was heartbreak for Montreal’s Ilya Kharun, who missed the 50-metre butterfly final by just one-hundredth of a second, finishing ninth with a time of 22.92. Toronto’s Josh Liendo placed 13th with a personal best and also helped the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay team secure an eighth-place finish in the final.
Ethan Ekk, making his senior national team debut, made a strong impression by dropping more than three seconds from his personal best in the men’s 400 freestyle and finishing ninth overall. And the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay team narrowly missed the final, finishing in ninth place as well.
The pool events continue through August 3rd, with CBC and Radio-Canada providing extensive coverage. As the competition heats up, all eyes remain on McIntosh to see if she can make Canadian swimming history with five gold medals in one championship.
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