Toronto swimmer Summer McIntosh will enter the women’s 200-metre butterfly final at the 19th FINA world aquatics championships as junior record holder.
The 15-year-old accomplished the feat Tuesday, winning the second of two semifinals in two minutes 5.79 seconds and qualifying first overall for Wednesday’s 12:02 p.m. ET final in Budapest, Hungary.
Suzuka Hasegawa held the previous mark of 2:06.29 since April 15, 2017 at the Japanese championships in Nagoya.
McIntosh defeated American Regan Smith (2:07.13) who was fresh off qualifying for the 50 backstroke final at Duna Arena. Hungary’s Boglarka Kapas, the defending world champion in the 200 free, was third in 2:07.89.
“Summer is a once-in-a-generation swimmer,” longtime CBC Sports swimming analyst Byron MacDonald said in April. “You don’t see this very often and they’re very special. And she’s going to get better and better and better.”
WATCH | McIntosh wins world 200m butterfly semifinal in junior record time:
15-year-old Summer McIntosh swam the fastest qualifying time, and set a world junior record in the women’s 200 metre butterfly semifinals, to advance to the final at the 2022 FINA world championships in Budapest.
Smith trailed McIntosh by 17-100ths of a second after 50 metres and 56-100ths midway through the race. Competing in a new event at her debut worlds, the Canadian was quick through 100 and extended her lead by 71-100ths at the 150-metre mark, got clear of Smith in the last 50 minutes and held off the reigning Olympic silver medallist for the win.
On Saturday, McIntosh won a silver medal in the 400 free and will also race the 400 individual medley in Budapest.
WATCH | 15-year-old McIntosh swims to world championship silver:
The Toronto native finished with a time of 3:59.39 for the 2nd-place finish at the FINA World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Last summer, a 14-year-old McIntosh was the youngest member of the Canadian Olympic team in Tokyo but certainly didn’t show her age on the world’s grandest athletic stage.
She placed fourth in the 400 free, at that point lowering the Canadian record twice. She was ninth in the 200 free and 11th in the 800 free, setting a national age group record. She was also part of the 200 relay squad that finished fourth in national record time, while McIntosh’s opening-leg swim broke the Canadian age group record.
Flying in 400 free
During national trials two months ago in Victoria, McIntosh turned heads by winning four events and swimming the 400 free in the third-fastest time this year.
In March, the 15-year-old swam the third-fastest time ever in the 400 IM during an invitational trials prep event.
WATCH | Why McIntosh’s performance is a big deal:
The 15-year-old Canadian won a silver medal in the 400m freestyle event at the world championships in just three minutes, 59.39 seconds. Here are 3 reasons why that time is a big deal.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Taylor Ruck of Kelowna, B.C. appeared headed for a medal through 150 metres of the 200 freestyle but fell off the pace down the stretch and tied for sixth in 1:57.24 with Charlotte Bonnet of France.
Ruck held a slim advantage over Bonnet in the first 50 metres and was 20-100ths behind eventual winner Junxuan Yang of China at the midway mark. The Canadian remained in second through 150, 22-100ths back of Yang.
On Saturday, Ruck won relay silver in the free with Penny Oleksiak, Maggie Mac Neil and Kayla Sanchez. Oleksiak didn’t race in Tuesday’s 200 free semifinals after she was disqualified for a false start in the semifinals on Monday.
Masse qualifies 1st for 50m backstroke final
Three other Canadians qualified for finals, led by two-time champion Kylie Masse of LaSalle, Ont., in the 50 backstroke.
She won her semifinal heat and qualified first for Wednesday’s 12:22 p.m. final in 27.22 seconds while fellow Canadian Ingrid Wilm was 17-100ths of a second back in third, lowering her personal best to 27.39 from 27.55 earlier Tuesday. The Calgary native qualified fourth for the final.
On Monday, Masse missed out on winning a third consecutive world title in the 100 backstroke, touching the wall second in 58.40 seconds behind American Regan Smith (58.22).
WATCH | Masse captures backstroke silver medal at aquatics worlds:
Taylor Ruck of Kelowna, B.C. advanced from the women’s 200 metre freestyle semifinals, while Toronto’s Penny Oleksiak was disqualified at the FINA world championships in Budapest.
Masse has won a backstroke medal at 10 consecutive major international competitions dating to 2015, the longest run by a Canadian woman.
Josh Liendo will represent Canada in the men’s 100 freestyle final after finishing second to world record holder and fellow teen David Popovic of Romania in the second of two semifinals.
Liendo, 19, had a strong start and got ahead of Popovic in the first 25 or 30 metres on the way to a 47.55 finish, a personal best and nearly a second faster than his 48.16 qualifying time.
WATCH | Liendo ‘glad’ to be role model for Black swimmers:
Kylie Masse of LaSalle, Ont., won a silver medal in the women’s 100 metre backstroke at the FINA world championships in Budapest.
The 17-year-old Popovic set a world junior record with his 47.13 effort.
Toronto resident Ruslan Gaziev didn’t qualify for the final, his 49-flat placing him last of 16 swimmers.
Dressel drops out of 100m freestyle semis
Two-time world champion Caeleb Dressel will not be defending his title in the men’s 100 freestyle in Budapest after withdrawing from the semifinals.
Dressel was included in the initial start list for Tuesday’s race but was not included in an updated version with reserve Hwang Sun-woo of South Korea taking his place.
“A decision has been made by Team USA in consultation with Caeleb, his coach, and the team’s medical staff for him to withdraw from the 100-metre freestyle event on medical grounds. The team will determine his participation in the events later in the week,” U.S. Swimming told The Associated Press in a statement.
Dressel is due to race the men’s 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly later in the worlds.
Dressel was second-fastest in qualifying for the semifinals with a time of 47.95, but will not now compete against Romania’s David Popovici, who was fastest in 47.60.
Reference-www.cbc.ca