Summer McIntosh held off of 400m freestyle podium, Titmus sets new world record
CBC
Summer McIntosh finished just off the podium in her first final at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
The 16-year-old Canadian swimmer was fourth in the final of the women's 400-metre freestyle on Sunday which was won by newly-minted world record holder Ariarne Titmus of Australia.
Titmus touched the wall in three minutes 55.38 seconds, eclipsing the mark of 3:56.08 set by McIntosh at Canadian trials in March.
American Katie Ledecky took silver in a time of 3:58.73, and New Zealand's Erika Fairweather finished with bronze in 3:59.59.
McIntosh, of Toronto, swam to a time of 3:59.94, nearly three seconds off her former world-record time.
In other action on Sunday, Maggie Mac Neil, of London, Ont., qualified for the women's 100m butterfly final by finishing second in her semifinal heat with a time of 56.78.
The reigning Olympic champion in the event sat out her individual events at last year's worlds to give herself some space for her mental health.
In the men's 50m butterfly, Josh Liendo of Markham, Ont., and Montreal's Ilya Kharun advanced to the semifinals but did not make the cut for the final.
In the 4x100m freestyle relays, Australia's teams swept to gold while the Canadians did not land on the podium.
The Canadian men's team of Liendo, Montreal's Edouard Fullum-Huot, and Toronto's Javier Acevedo and Ruslan Gaziev finished fifth (3:12.05) while Australia won in 3:10.16.
The Australian women's team took gold in a world-record time of 3:27.96. Canada's Mac Neil, Katerine Savard, of Pont-Rouge, Que., Mary-Sophie Harvey of Trois-Rivières, Que., and Taylor Ruck of Kelowna, B.C., finished seventh in 3:36.62.
French 22-year-old Leon Marchand has broken Michael Phelps's world record in the men's 400 individual medley in four minutes 2.50 seconds. Phelps set the old record of 4:03.84 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
It was the last individual record Phelps held since retiring for good after the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Marchand swims at Arizona State and is coached by Bob Bowman, the coach of the American team at the world championships. He is a potential hometown superstar going into next year's Paris Olympics. He will also be the favourite in the 200 IM.
