TORONTO (AP) – Sixteen-year-old Canadian Summer McIntosh set a world record Tuesday night in the women’s 400-metre freestyle.
Competed in the Canadian swim trials at the Pan Am Sports Center in Toronto, McIntosh finished in 3 minutes, 56.08 seconds to break the 3:56.40 record set last year by Australia’s Ariarne Titmus.
It was the first long-distance world record by a Canadian swimmer since Kylie Masse in the 100 backstroke at the 2017 world championships in Budapest. McIntosh also shaved more than 3 seconds off the previous national record of 3:59.32.
“Over the last few years I have risked my life for this,” said McIntosh, who placed fourth in the 400 free in her Olympic debut in Tokyo as a 14-year-old. “To achieve something like this, it was so unexpected. It was never in my dreams to do this tonight or even years ago. This just blows me away.
The Canadian trials were held to determine which swimmers will compete at this summer’s world championships in Fukuoka, Japan, as well as the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
McIntosh’s emergence sets up one of the world’s most anticipated bouts and next summer’s Paris Olympics.
He is expected to be matched at 400 against both Titmus, the reigning Olympic championsand American star Katie Ledecky, another former world record holder, 2016 Olympic gold medalist and reigning world champion. in an event.
___
AP Sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
