SINGAPORE — Despite making history Sunday, Summer McIntosh is feeling more motivated than ever.
McIntosh capped a dominant world swimming championships with her fourth gold medal, winning the women’s 400-metre individual medley in championship-record time. The 18-year-old from Toronto touched the wall in four minutes 25.78 seconds, well ahead of Australia’s Jenna Forrester and Japan’s Mio Narita, who tied for silver in 4:33.26.
It was McIntosh's fifth overall medal at these championships alone, making her the second woman ever to accomplish the feat alongside Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom in 2019 (one gold, two silver, two bronze).
McIntosh is also the second woman to ever win four golds at a single championships alongside American Katie Ledecky (2015).
“I think it was very obvious that my goal was five golds. I just wanted to get my hand on the wall the first five times I fell short of that,” said McIntosh. “I think it’s just going to keep me hungry and push me more than any other meet ever.
"And that says a lot, and the things I’m learning about the most is going to make me hungry moving into next season and into L.A.”
McIntosh also claimed gold in the 200 butterfly, 200 medley and 400 freestyle in Singapore.
Her bid for a record five golds ended Saturday as Ledecky won the 800 freestyle ahead of Australia’s Lani Pallister. McIntosh settled for bronze in the event.
McIntosh now has 13 career medals at the world championships -- the most of any Canadian ever -- including eight gold.
Also Sunday, Canada’s men’s 4x100 medley relay team placed fifth, while the women’s 4x100 medley relay team, which included McIntosh, finished fifth in the final event of the meet.
McIntosh accounted for five of Canada’s eight swimming medals at the world aquatics championships. Adding to the tally were Montreal's Ilya Kharun in the men’s 100 butterfly, Mary-Sophie Harvey, of Laval, Que., in the women’s 200 individual medley, and the 4x100 mixed medley relay team — all earning bronze.
Montreal's Simone Leathead added a silver in the women’s 20-metre high dive, her first career medal at worlds.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2025.
The Canadian Press
