By Tom Decent
Canadian star Summer McIntosh has stunned the swimming world by annihilating Ariarne Titmus’ 400m freestyle world record by more than a second at her national trials.
After picking up a silver medal behind Titmus in the event at last year’s Paris Olympics, McIntosh sent an ominous warning ahead of this year’s world championships in Singapore by clocking a remarkable time of three minutes, 54.18 seconds in the 400m freestyle final at the Canadian swimming trials.
The 18-year-old, who won three gold medals at the recent Olympics, went 1.2 seconds under Titmus’ best time, set at the 2023 swimming championships in Fukuoka.
By the 200-metre mark, McIntosh was 0.52 seconds under Titmus’ world record. With a lap to go, she was 1.39 seconds under.
McIntosh produced the biggest improvement on a women’s 400m world record since Katie Ledecky shaved 1.91 seconds off her own world record at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
“Going into tonight, I knew that my training has been really good these past few months and I knew that I could do something special,” McIntosh told the CBC broadcast.
“I didn’t think my training would be [three minutes] 54.1 [seconds] but I’m really happy with that.
“I didn’t really feel a lot of pain in that. I flipped at the 200 and I was just cruising, so I knew that I was having a strong swim. I could tell by the crowd … that I was probably close to the world record.”
It is not the first time McIntosh has held the women’s 400m freestyle world record. In March 2023, McIntosh clocked 3:56.08, before Titmus won a few months later in Japan by posting a world best of 3:55.38.
Titmus, who has won back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the 400m freestyle, is still the world record holder in the 200m freestyle.
The 24-year-old is enjoying a break from swimming and although Titmus won’t be competing at this week’s Australian swimming trials in Adelaide, she will be in the commentary box for Channel Nine.
Ariarne Titmus has signed with Channel Nine as a commentator for next month’s Australian swimming trials in Adelaide, running from June 9 to 14.Credit: Channel Nine
“I don’t think I’ll be back to where I was until 2027 in terms of being my best,” Titmus told this masthead last month.
“I’ve achieved everything I ever wanted to. I definitely wouldn’t have taken this break if I hadn’t become an Olympic champion or broken a world record already.
“Everything in my career from now on is a bonus for me.”
