Victoria, B.C. – At just 18 years old, Toronto swimmer Summer McIntosh delivered a stunning performance at the Canadian swimming trials on Sunday. Competing in the women’s 800-metre freestyle, McIntosh set a new Canadian national record with a time of 8 minutes, 5.07 seconds.
Her time is now the third-fastest in the history of the event, falling just short of the world record held by American Katie Ledecky, who clocked 8:04.12. McIntosh shaved nearly five seconds off her personal best, demonstrating both her growing strength in the event and her potential to challenge for world dominance.
Speaking after the race, McIntosh expressed satisfaction with the result, though she acknowledged there’s still room to grow. “I’m always aiming to break records and push the limits,” she said. “But to hit a personal best at this level, I have to be proud of that. It doesn’t happen often.”
McIntosh said she’s still learning how to pace herself in the 800-metre event and looks forward to reviewing her split times with her coach, Fred Vergnoux.
Meanwhile, Montreal’s Ilya Kharun claimed victory in the men’s 100-metre butterfly with a personal best of 50.37 seconds, narrowly defeating Toronto’s Josh Liendo, who finished just behind at 50.46. Kharun acknowledged Liendo’s Canadian record of 49.99, which he set while winning silver at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. He said he is excited for the next round of competition against Liendo at the upcoming World Championships in Singapore.
Also on Day 2 of the trials, two Para swimmers broke national records. Aly Van Wyck-Smart from Toronto set a new Canadian record in the women’s S3 200-metre freestyle with a time of 4:48.05, beating the previous record set in 2022 by Nikita Ens. Another Para swimming record was also set, making it a day of celebration for Canadian athletes across disciplines.