2025 World Championship Previews: How Low Can Summer McIntosh Go In Women’s 200 Fly?

2025 World Championships

• July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
• Singapore, Singapore
• World Aquatics Championships Arena
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• Live Results
• SwimSwam Preview Index

BY THE NUMBERS – WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY

• World Record: 2:01.81  – Liu Zige, China (2009)
• World Junior Record: 2:03.03– Summer McIntosh, Canada (2024)
• Championship Record: 2:03.41 – Jessicah Schipper, Australia (2009)
• 2023 World Champion – Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2:04.06

There has been only one name to watch in recent years in this event, and Summer McIntosh has taken herself to new heights again in 2025 as she chases gold for the fourth summer in a row. Regan Smith will aim to keep continue her podium streak intact after medalling in 2023 (Fukuoka) and 2024 (Paris), but will have her work cut out to top the podium.

Behind them is a wide open field, with no one else having stood on the podium at a full World Championship or Olympic Games. It should be a fascinating battle for bronze, but all eyes will be drawn to the front of the field where we will see just how low a certain Canadian can go.

1,135 Days Of Summer

It has been just over three years since Summer McIntosh won her first world title in this event, which also happened to be her first ever individual world title. Since then, she has absolutely dominated this event at the world level, winning gold in 2023 and 2024 as well and getting faster each year.

She was clear of the field in Paris as she won in 2:03.03, at the time the second-fastest swim in history. That was also a textile world best, beating out the 2:03.86 that Zhang Yufei went to win gold in Tokyo. However, this year she has been nothing short of brilliant in the event, setting a new Canadian, Commonwealth and Americas record of 2:02.26 to win Canadian Trials in Victoria last month.

That is the new #2 swim in history and less than half a second from Liu Zige’s World record of 2:01.81, set at the Chinese National Games in 2009 and widely seen as one of the most out-of-reach records in swimming along with the men’s 200m and 800m freestyles. She has set herself up well for a tilt at that mark in Singapore – in each of the last three years her best has come in the summer’s major final.

She had a dominant winter in short course as well, winning gold at the world championships in Budapest in a brand new World Record of 1:59.32 to become only the second woman to break the two minute mark. She seems to be setting records almost every time she touches the water in 2024-25, and is clearly in the best form of her life so far.

McIntosh has set two of her three fastest times ever in the event this year, going 2:04.00 at the Westmont Pro Swim Series back in March. She was also more than two seconds quicker at Canadian Trials than she was in 2024 where she went 2:04.33 – a similar drop to last year would see her in the low 2:01s this time around.

She leads the world rankings for this season by a staggering 3.12 seconds over Regan Smith, and there will only be five other swimmers in Singapore who have been within five seconds of her time so far this year. Having won by 0.88 seconds in 2022, 1.40 in 2023 and then 0.84 in 2024, she could have her biggest winning margin by a distance this year.

In an event she calls her favorite (partly because her mom used to swim it), she owns four of the top 11 times in history, double the number of any other swimmer (Regan Smith and Liu Zige have two each). She is the best female swimmer in the world right now, and right now the best active swimmer in the world full stop. McIntosh here is one of the clearest bets for gold in any event in Singapore, and may come away with both an historic three-peat and yet another world record.

Dreams Of A North American Podium?

At U.S. Nationals this year we had a surprise winner in the 200 fly, with Olympic silver medalist and American Record holder Regan Smith being run down by Stanford’s Caroline Bricker, who took the win 2:05.80 to 2:05.85. That was just another installment in a fabulous season for the Stanford sophomore, who won her first NCAA title in the 400 IM back in March and then hacked 3.3 seconds from her best in this event to take that win at Nationals.

She currently ranks third in the world this year, and checked in as the #23 swimmer all-time in the event as well. With four of this year’s top five hailing from the US of A, she is more than a second clear of the fourth-fastest swimmer that will be in Singapore. That is a decent buffer, however she does have only the one swim under 2:07 and only two under 2:09. Ensuring that she maintains her momentum into Singapore will be vital, with heats and semis to navigate before a likely final. Entered in only this event, she should be able to manage her energy through the three rounds to be at her best in the final.

Credit: Jason Wang / Peak Images

Bricker is still something of an unknown quantity at the international level however, as she is yet to compete for Team USA at either junior or senior level. The short course standouts that have joined Smith on the world stage over the last couple of years, Lindsey Looney and Alex Shackell, have both made the final but then added time to finish outside the podium places. With a weaker field this year than in either of 2023 or 2024, Bricker may have a chance to make the top three even if she doesn’t quite hit the heights she did in Indianapolis.

Alongside Bricker is Regan Smith, aiming to medal in this event for the fourth time in five  years this summer. She holds a best of 2:03.84 from the Paris Olympics, the fifth-fastest swim in history, and also owns performance #7 with the 2:03.87 she went back in 2023 (which was actually the fastest time in the world that year). McIntosh has pulled away from her for top spot, but Smith has a best nearly two seconds faster than the next-quickest in the field. With her season best of 2:05.38 also ranking 2nd in the world this year, she should almost certainly take silver in Singapore.

Some Surprise National Champions

A pair of countries that have experienced success in the event recently had surprise winners of their World Trials this year, as both Great Britain and their antipodean rivals Australia saw a world medalist finish in third place to miss out on the team. For Great Britain it was Laura Stephens, the 2024 World Champion and Olympic finalist, who missed out as Keanna Macinnes took the win, while Down Under Brittany Castelluzo knocked half a second off her best to take top spot ahead of Tokyo finalists Abbey Connor and Elizabeth Dekkers.

Keanna Louise Macinnes (photo: Jack Spitser)

Macinnes represented team GB in Tokyo where she finished ninth in 2:08.04, but would not be denied a repeat appearance on the world stage as she ran down Stephens in London with some absolutely metronomic splits, going 32.85/32.67/32.67 on the final 150. That gave her a lifetime best of 2:07.14 but she would drop another two-tenths from that mark at the AP Race International in May to both break 2:07 for the first time and set a new Scottish Record, as she swam to a time of 2:06.93 that ranks her sixth this year out of athletes that will be in Singapore.

Her four fastest times in the event have all come in the last 15 months, and having been right on her best in the 100 as well this season looks to be building towards a big summer. If either of the Americans is off she could be in the podium hunt.

Brittany Castelluzzo has hacked nearly two seconds from her previous best of 2:08.79 this season, and broke 2:07 for the second time ever to win Australian Trials in a time of 2:06.91. That is just off the 2:06.86 that she went at Australian Nationals earlier in the year that ranks her fifth among swimmers that will be in Singapore, and with the form she is in could vault onto the podium.

She is the second-fastest riser among the swimmers likely to be in the final, and there is no reason to think that she won’t continue her form into Singapore. She’s only been 58.25 in the 100 this season so won’t have a ton of early speed, but that often is less important in the 200 fly than closing well into the final touch.

A New (pre-) Teenage Superstar

We mentioned that Castelluzzo was the second-fastest riser among this field, and that’s because 12-year-old Yu Zidi will be in Singapore. She swam a phenomenal 2:06.83 at Chinese Nationals back in April to take the win, a time that comes in over eight seconds faster than the current US 11-12 age group record. She’s dropped a ton from last season, perhaps unsurprisingly given her age, but is now at a level where she should be expected to make the final. If Zidi makes the podium she would be the youngest medalist since Inge Sørensen at the 1936 Olympics, where the Dane took bronze in the 200 breaststroke

As with any young swimmer though, inexperience and nerves may play a role in her performances at the World Championships. However, given how well she progressed through the rounds at Chinese Nationals that may not be an issue. She’s dropping time fast, but a podium would be a lot to expect – a first World Championship final would be a fine result for her here.

A European Flavor To The Finals Contenders?

There is a cluster of women in the 2:07-high to 2:08-low range who will be aiming to make the final in Singapore. Chief among them will be Paris finalist Helena Rosendahl Bach, who also took silver at the Doha world championships. She holds a season best of 2:07.68, ranking her eighth among the field, but set the Danish National Record in Paris with a time of 2:06.65 in the semi-finals at the Paris Olympics last summer.

She will be joined by Brit Emily Richards (née Large) who went 2:08.25 to take second at British Trials, less than a second off her best of 2:07.33. That is her third-fastest swim ever, as the 2017 world junior champion will hope to make it through to the final eight.

Lillou Ressencourt took gold at the French Elite Championships in 2:08.81, which marked a best time for the Cal swimmer. She will likely need to drop time to make the final, but had a good short course season and will be aiming to keep her momentum rolling.

From the other side of the world, Abbey Connor has the sixth-fastest season best of the field with her time of 2:07.14, and will be hoping to improve on her eight place finish in Paris. She holds a best time of 2:06.43 from last year’s Australian Trials, and if she can drop some time from that could be in the podium hunt.

Ma Yonghui took second at Chinese nationals behind Zidi and with her season best of 2:08.04 could find herself on the edge of finals qualification, but she will need to be at her best.

The Verdict

First place here almost feels like a formality to predict. McIntosh has been the best swimmer in the world in this event for the past three years now and is only getting better once again. She has a significant buffer on the rest of the field, even if she were to add time to her in-season time – which has not yet happened. She should add to her claim to be the best active swimmer with another gold medal here.

Regan Smith is our pick for silver behind her. She is the fourth-fastest swimmer in history and is the only woman in the field with the ability to push MacIntosh. She should have plenty to come in second on the podium this year, adding another silver medal to the ones she won in 2021, 2022, and 2024.

We’re picking Caroline Bricker to continue the momentum she’s been generating this season and nab bronze. The second-plus buffer she has over the rest of the field may well prove too much, even with the Australian pair looking to drop into the 2:06-lows. It is probably a couple of years (at least) too early for Yu Zidi, but stranger things have happened than a junior dropping a ton of time to surprise us.

The battle for the final couple of spots should be tough. There’s a lot of women who are in with a shout, and it’ll come down to the very last stroke.

SwimSwam’s Picks

Dark Horse: Ellen Walshe (Ireland) – Walshe has picked this event up just this season, and has instantly become a threat for the final. Predominantly an IM and sprint butterfly swimmer, she swam the 200 fly in addition to the IMs at both the Sette Colli meet and the Pro Swim Series back in May. Walshe owns the Irish record in 2:08.42, and was sub-2:10 at both of the aforementioned meets. If she is serious about adding this event to her lineup, she could make some noise .