The World Aquatics Championship nearly saw a second World Record being made in two days as Canada’s Summer McIntosh came up with a brilliant performance to get closer than anyone had been before to breaking the record in the Women's 200m butterfly here on Thursday.
McIntosh clocked a sensational 2:01.99, coming close to breaking the World Record of 2:01.81 set by China's Liu Zige way back in 2009. Since 2010, there have only been four swims inside 2:04, let alone getting to 2:01.
McIntosh, 18, has now made that record vulnerable and won her third World title in the event, and her third of these championships. At 100 metres, McIntosh cruised through at 58.41, over Liu’s record pace.
On the third 50m, her 31.59 pulled her in front of the mark, and the line didn’t run away from her like it did for so many others over the years. Splitting 31.99 on the last 50m, McIntosh lowered her own Americas record of 2:02.26 from June to inch closer to Liu’s mark.
McIntosh, coached by Fred Vergnoux in France, has won all three of her events this week in Singapore as she is taking on five events this week at these championships in a trial run for a similar lineup at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The 800m freestyle is next for her in a much-anticipated matchup with Katie Ledecky, while the 400m IM on Sunday is her final event. USA’s Regan Smith (2:04.99) won her eighth career individual medal at the World Aquatics Championships, bagging silver at 2:04.99, her season best, as she matched her silver from Paris 2024 and elevated her bronze from Fukuoka 2023.
Australia’s Elizabeth Dekkers (2:06.12) won the bronze medal, adding to her silver from Fukuoka 2023. China's 12-year-old Yu Zidi finished fourth, narrowly missing the podium for a second time this week. The primary school student, competing in her first international meet, clocked two minutes 6.43 seconds - just 0.31 seconds behind bronze medalist Elizabeth Dekkers of Australia.
In the men's 200m Individual Medley, France’s Leon Marchand, who clocked 1:52 in the semifinals, followed it up by timing 1:53 for the first time in the 200m IM on Thursday night, making it the second fastest time in the history of the event.
Marchand was a tenth over his record pace at the 100m mark, but his breaststroke split of 32.96, although the fastest in the field, was slower than his 32.13 last night. That was the difference maker as his freestyle split tonight was only a tenth slower than his free split last night.
Marchand’s 1:53.68 brings him his third World title in the event after golds in Budapest 2022 and Fukuoka 2023. Marchand led a podium sweep of Bob Bowman-coached swimmers as American Shaine Casas (1:54.30) and Hungarian Hubert Kos (1:55.34), who also train at the famed coach's academy in Austin, Texas, won the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
In the men's 100m freestyle, Romania’s David Popovici won his second gold medal of these championships and his second in the 100m freestyle as the 21-year-old swam 46.51, the second fastest time in the history of the event.
Jack Alexy (46.92) of the United States and Kyle Chalmers (47.17) of Australia won silver and bronze, leaving the podium as the three everyone expected.