Summer McIntosh of Toronto, Ontario, set the women’s 200-meter individual medley record in the Pro Swim Series on Saturday. She clocked a time of 2:07.16 and won gold in Knoxville, Tennessee. McIntosh actually broke her own Pro Swim Series record of 2:08.08, which she set last year.
McIntosh’s time of 2:07.16 is also the world’s fastest time in the women’s 200-meter individual medley this season and the 14th fastest time in history. McIntosh’s best time in the women’s 200 m IM came on March 30, 2023 at the Bell Canadian Swimming Trials in Toronto when she clocked a time of 2:06.89. This is the sixth best time of all time. Katinka Hosszu of Hungary holds the world record in the women’s individual medley with a time of 2:06.12. This was determined at the 2015 World Aquatic Swimming Championships in Kazan, Russia.
McIntosh won three gold medals in the Knoxville competition. She also won the gold medal in the women’s 200-meter butterfly on Thursday with a time of 2:05.73 and on Friday the gold medal in the women’s 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:55.31. It’s fair to argue that McIntosh is the best 200-meter swimmer in the world right now. McIntosh currently holds the world record in the women’s 400-meter individual medley. This was set at the Bell Canadian Swimming Trials on April 1, 2023 with a time of 4:25.87. McIntosh is the world champion in the women’s 200-meter butterfly and women’s 400-meter individual medley.
However, it was another Canadian who won gold in the women’s 400-meter individual medley on Friday in Knoxville, Tess Cieplucha with a time of 4:41.54. Meanwhile, Canadian Olympic champion Maggie Mac Neil won the silver medal in the women’s butterfly on Friday with a time of 57.18 seconds, behind only American gold medalist Gretchen Walsh, who had a time of 56.78 seconds. When Mac Neil won the gold medal in the women’s 100-meter butterfly at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she had a winning time of 55.59 seconds. The medals for McIntosh, Cieplucha and Mac Neil will give them confidence as they prepare 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
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