Summer McIntosh Scares World Record in 200 Butterfly; Sets Canadian Record with No. 2 Performance in History
In late 2009, just before the sport’s ban on supersuits went into effect, Liu Zige packaged a stunning performance in the 200-meter butterfly. Racing at the Chinese National Games, the 2008 Olympic champion registered a time of 2:01.81, an effort that sliced 1.60 seconds from the previous world record of Australian Jessicah Schipper. The consensus reaction to Liu’s effort went a little like this: “She went what?”
For more than a decade, Liu’s record has been largely deemed untouchable, but Canadian Summer McIntosh has altered that narrative.
On Night Four of the Canadian Trials for this summer’s World Championships in Singapore, McIntosh gave Liu’s world record a scare before winning the 200 fly in 2:02.26, the second-fastest time in history. McIntosh’s victory marked her fourth Canadian record in as many nights in British Columbia.
Before her latest performance, McIntosh’s personal best sat at 2:03.03, the mark she delivered en route to the gold medal in the 200 fly at last summer’s Olympic Games in Paris. During that race, McIntosh enjoyed a .81 margin over American Regan Smith, who earned the silver medal in 2:03.84.
McIntosh is in the midst of producing one of the greatest meets in history. Already, she has established world records in the 400 freestyle (3:54.18) and 200 individual medley (2:05.70), and has posted the third-fastest time in the 800 freestyle (8:05.07). She remains slated to contest the 400 IM, in which she owns the world record, and the 200 freestyle, where she could threaten the global standard of 1:52.23, held by Aussie Ariarne Titmus.
“My touch was not my best, so I’m a little mad at myself for that,” McIntosh said in her post-race interview. “But overall, I’m happy with the time and felt really strong. I want to get closer and closer to that world record. This is the world record I want the most. It’s the hardest one to get in my opinion. It’s something I hope I can get in the near future.”
Here is a comparison of the splits between Liu and McIntosh:
Liu: 27.19, 58.08 (30.89), 1:30.20 (32.12), 2:01.81 (31.61)
McIntosh: 27.28, 58.58 (31.30), 1:30.19 (31.61), 2:02.26 (32.07)
While McIntosh was slightly behind world-record pace during the first half of the race, a huge third lap of 31.61 put the teenager .01 ahead of Liu’s pace at the 150-meter mark. But down the stretch, McIntosh was unable to keep up with Liu’s 2009 speed, which was heavily fueled by the polyurethane technology of the time.
She had it she had it! She took a small extra arm stroke instead of diving down and touching underwater She had it and she knew it. Amazing as there is zero suspected PED use by Summer. She wants this record more than any other, doesn’t matter if it was super suited this record is suspicious. Truly a thing of beauty. Just think how fast she will be when she gets with the GOAT Coach?
She is definitely going to get it. In reality this swim tonight should have been her breaking her own World Record from Paris. It should not be her job to erase the super suit records. It’s a crime against the sport and its athletes for those in charge to have done nothing and instead just wait for it to all go away. Swimming history has been irreparably altered. I will always hate that. But you can’t make the cowardly stand upright. But Summer is amazing and I can’t wait to see what she does next and next and next. Amazing….