Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh is off to a strong start at the World Swimming Championships in Singapore, claiming the gold medal in the women’s 400-meter freestyle on Sunday. The 17-year-old is aiming to capture five individual golds at this year’s meet—a feat only previously accomplished by legendary American swimmer Michael Phelps.
McIntosh won the 400 free with a time of 3:56.26, falling short of her own world record (3:54.18) but comfortably ahead of silver medalist Li Bingjie of China (3:58.21) and American star Katie Ledecky, who took bronze in 3:58.49. A year ago at the Olympics, Ledecky also finished third in this event, while McIntosh took silver behind Australia’s Ariarne Titmus. Titmus is taking a break this season and was not in the field.
For Ledecky, Sunday’s bronze marked her 27th career medal at the world championships. Her remarkable career began with Olympic gold in 2012 and has spanned over a decade of dominance in distance freestyle.
Just 25 minutes after her 400m win, McIntosh returned to the pool to post the fastest qualifying time in the 200-meter individual medley, clocking 2:07.39. American swimmer Alex Walsh was second in 2:08.49, setting up a highly anticipated final on Monday.
“I’ve never done a double like that before,” McIntosh said. “In the past, I haven’t been able to put together my best performance in the 400 free at big meets. So to finally stand at the top of the podium feels really good.”
She added, “I think I’m in the best shape of my life right now, and now I need to bring that into every race.”
One of the surprise stories of the day was 12-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi, who qualified seventh-fastest for the 200 IM final. After learning she had advanced, she exclaimed, “Oh, I’m in,” unaware she had made the cut.
“I’ll keep working hard,” she said. “I hope to break through at these championships and show what I can do. The competition is intense—I try not to overthink it and just give my best.”
Yu’s strongest events are expected to be the 400 IM and 200 butterfly, making her final in the 200 IM all the more impressive.
Meanwhile, Team USA faced challenges going into the competition, with some members affected by a bout of “acute gastroenteritis” during a pre-meet training camp in Thailand. A USA Swimming spokesperson confirmed all team members traveled to Singapore but did not disclose how many fell ill due to medical confidentiality.
In the men’s 400 freestyle, Germany’s Lukas Martens edged Australia’s Sam Short by just 0.02 seconds, winning in 3:42.35. Kim Woomin of South Korea took bronze with 3:42.60. Martens, the reigning Olympic champion and world record holder (3:39.96), held off the late-charging field.
McIntosh, who won three gold medals at the Paris Olympics, will race Ledecky again later in the meet in the 800 freestyle—a clash expected to be one of the marquee events in Singapore.
She is also targeting gold in the 200 and 400 individual medleys and the 200 butterfly, all in pursuit of equaling Michael Phelps’ record of five individual golds at a single world championship.
In relay action, Australia dominated both the men’s and women’s 4×100 freestyle events. The Australian women edged the United States in a close finish—3:30.60 to 3:31.04—with the Netherlands earning bronze. On the men’s side, Australia took gold in 3:08.97, followed by Italy (3:09.58) and the U.S. (3:09.64).
Other highlights included three semifinal events:
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China’s Qin Haiyang posted the fastest time in the men’s 200 breaststroke with 58.24 seconds. Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi, the Olympic champion in Paris, originally faced disqualification for a false start but was reinstated on appeal and placed second in 58.62.
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In the women’s 100 butterfly semifinals, Gretchen Walsh of the U.S. and Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk tied for the top spot in 56.07 seconds.
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France’s Maxime Grousset led the men’s 50 butterfly in 22.61.
The meet continues with finals and more semifinals through the next seven days, with McIntosh remaining a key focus as she chases history.
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