Summer McIntosh Smashes Three World Records in Five Days – Phelps-Level Pool Power from Canada’s 18-Year-Old Phenom
Canada’s teenage swim queen becomes the first since Michael Phelps in 2008 to break three individual world records at a single meet – and she’s not even done yet.
Summer McIntosh: The Human Torpedo Has Arrived
While most Aussie teens are flat out just getting through their Ls or sorting a proper goon sack rig, 18-year-old Canadian Summer McIntosh has decided to casually match a Michael Phelps record. No biggie.
At the Canadian Swimming Trials in British Columbia this week, the Toronto teenager set her third world record in just five days. Her latest? A mind-bending 4:23.65 in the 400m individual medley on Wednesday night.
That blitzed her previous world mark of 4:24.38, set earlier this year. But the real kicker? She’s now the first swimmer since Phelps at the 2008 Beijing Olympics to set three world records in three individual events at one long course meet.
“World records are made to be broken,” McIntosh said. “I just want to make it as hard as possible for the next kids trying to break mine.”
Now that’s a flex.
World Domination by the Numbers
| Event | Time | Record Status |
|---|---|---|
| 400m Freestyle | 3:56.18 | World Record (reclaimed from Titmus) |
| 200m Individual Medley | 2:05.70 | World Record (broke Hosszu’s 2015 mark) |
| 400m Individual Medley | 4:23.65 | World Record (broke own mark) |
| 800m Freestyle | — | 3rd-fastest in history (Sunday) |
| 200m Butterfly | — | 2nd-fastest in history (Tuesday) |
All that in five days. We’re starting to think this isn’t a swimmer – it’s a torpedo with a Canadian passport.
Not Her First Rodeo
This isn’t McIntosh’s breakout moment. She already won three Olympic golds at Paris 2024 and is being touted as the next great swimming superstar. Sorry Ariarne Titmus, but the Canadian kid just swiped your 400m freestyle record too.
And she’s not done yet.
McIntosh is entered in the 200m freestyle on Thursday – meaning she might just add record No. 4 before the week’s out.
The Bob Bowman Effect Incoming?
After the World Championships in Singapore next month, where she’ll swim up to five individual events, McIntosh will relocate to Austin, Texas to train under none other than Bob Bowman – the legendary coach of Michael Phelps.
Translation: McIntosh is not just aiming for greatness. She’s assembling the Avengers.
Aussie Angle: How Does This Compare?
Ariarne Titmus’s WR (400m free) lasted just 11 months. Now, McIntosh owns it again. That’s the kind of back-and-forth that creates swimming rivalries we’ll be watching for a decade.
And with Titmus, Ledecky, and now McIntosh all circling the same events, women’s swimming is officially the most stacked sport this side of State of Origin.
