Summer McIntosh captured gold in the women's 400-metre individual medley at the Canadian Swimming Trials in Montreal on Monday, but the 19-year-old star fell short of breaking her own world record. McIntosh touched the wall in 4 minutes 26.23 seconds, well off the 4:24.38 she swam at the 2024 Canadian trials to set the global standard.
Dominant Performance Despite Missed Mark
McIntosh led from the opening butterfly leg and never relinquished control, building a commanding lead over the field. Her time was more than two seconds ahead of silver medalist Emma Finlin, who finished in 4:38.12. The victory secured McIntosh's spot on Canada's team for the upcoming World Aquatics Championships.
"I'm happy with the win, but I know there's more work to do," McIntosh said. "The world record is always in the back of my mind, but I have to focus on the process and trust my training."
World Record Still Elusive
McIntosh set the 400 IM world record at the 2024 trials, breaking the previous mark held by Hungary's Katinka Hosszú. Since then, the Toronto native has continued to dominate the event but has not been able to lower her own standard. Her time Monday was the second-fastest in the world this year.
"I felt good in the water, but my legs were a bit heavy on the freestyle leg," McIntosh added. "I'll go back and work on that for the next meet."
Canadian Trials Continue
The trials, held at the Olympic Park Sports Centre, continue through the week with McIntosh also entered in the 200-metre butterfly and 200-metre individual medley. She won gold in the 200 butterfly on Sunday with a time of 2:03.03, another world-leading mark for 2026.
