Summer McIntosh Wins 400 m Freestyle Gold to Launch Bid for Five at World Championships

Singapore, July 27, 2025 – Teenage Canadian star Summer McIntosh kicked off her campaign for a historic five individual gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships by dominating the women’s 400 m freestyle, finishing in 3:56.26—nearly two seconds clear of the field .
McIntosh led wire‑to‑wire, fending off China’s Li Bingjie (silver) and swimming legend Katie Ledecky (bronze), who claimed her 27th world championship medal in the event .
Just minutes after her win, McIntosh shifted focus and posted the fastest time in the 200 m individual medley semifinals, reinforcing her ambition to match Michael Phelps’ 2007 feat of five individual titles at one championship .
The evening was further complicated by a gastroenteritis outbreak that affected several U.S. swimmers—including Paris Olympic silver medallist Claire Weinstein and Torri Huske—though Ledecky appeared unaffected, posting a season‑best time in qualifying .
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McIntosh, now 18, enters the 200 m butterfly, 800 m freestyle, and 400 m individual medley later in the week—events in which she holds national and world records set at the Canadian trials in June 2025 .