2025 World Championships
- July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
- Singapore, Singapore
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18-year-old Summer McIntosh just wrangled up her third gold medal through five days of these 2025 World Championships and she did it in record-breaking style.
After already reaping gold in the 400m free and 200m IM in Singapore, McIntosh raced the final of the women’s 200m butterfly tonight, powering her way to a mighty time of 2:01.99, just missing the longstanding World Record.
The fastest time ever remains at the 2:01.81 China’s Liu Zige put on the books in 2009 to represent the sole remaining supersuited women’s World Record. That means the Canadian fell just .18 outside that mark.
Entering this competition, McIntosh’s lifetime best in the 200m fly rested at the 2:02.26 she produced at this year’s Canadian Trials, meaning tonight’s effort was her first-ever foray under the 2:02 barrier.
In doing so, she easily overtook the Championship Record of 2:03.41 Aussie Jessicah Schipper logged at the 2009 World Championships.
McIntosh’s time also represents a new Canadian and Commonwealth Record.
Earning silver this evening was American 100m backstroke silver medalist here Regan Smith of the United States who turned in a time of 2:04.99. Elizabeth Dekkers of Australia, a late addition to her nation’s roster, posted 2:06.12 to claim the bronze.
McIntosh’s swim tonight appears to be the largest margin of victory in this women’s 200m butterfly since 1973 where East Germany’s Rosemarie Kother beat East Germany’s Roswitha Beier 2:13.76-2:16.77.
More recently, American great Mary T. Meagher won the 1984 Olympic gold by 3.66 seconds.
| McIntosh’s New Canadian Record – 2:01.99 | Liu Zige’s World Record – 2:01.81 | McIntosh’s Former Canadian Record – 2:02.26 |
| 27.22 | 27.19 | 27.28 |
| 31.19 | 30.89 | 31.30 |
| 31.59 | 32.12 | 31.61 |
| 31.99 | 31.61 | 32.07 |
Top 5 Women’s LCM 200 Butterfly Performers All-Time
- Liu Zige (CHN) – 2:01.81, 2009
- Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 2:01.99, 2025
- Jessicah Schipper (AUS) – 2:03.41, 2009
- Regan Smith (USA) – 2:03.84, 2024
- Zhang Yufei (CHN) – 2:04.06, 2021
Top 5 Women’s LCM 200 Butterfly Performances All-Time
- 2:01.81 – Liu Zige, 2009
- 2:01.99 – Summer McIntosh, 2025
- 2:02.26 – Summer McIntosh, 2025
- 2:03.03 – Summer McIntosh, 2024
- 2:03.41 – Jessicah Schipper, 2009
McIntosh’s new PB is a rare occurrence outside at an international meet. Her 200m free personal best of 1:53.65 was indeed produced at the 2023 World Championships but her current 400m free World Record and 800m free PBs both happened at non-elite international meets. Each was established at the domestic Canadian Trials.
Additionally, although McIntosh did originally produce a 200m IM personal best en route to Olympic gold last year in Paris, she ultimately lowered it once again at the Canadian Trials.
I used to consider the women’s 200 fly as the most untouchable of all the supersuited records.
But McIntosh is just relentless. Her pace of improvement has basically been linear. 2:05 in 2022, 2:04 in 2023, 2:03 in 2024 and now 2:01.99 in 2025.
Still bends my mind that someone has legitimate reason to be *disappointed* at falling short of the record.
She did 2.02 in June this year during the Canadian trials actually, she was also very close.
Great swim by Summer. But can we stop with the F-bombs? Vulgarity is not necessary to display displeasure with a good, or a poor swim. Have some class, ladies. Reagan, MOC, and now Summer on TV….It’s just trashy and Im sure their sponsors don’t encourage it. Bring on the haters, please.
F*** no 🙂
Eff no…. I like a little reality in my international swimming.
After who you guys re-elected last year, you’ve lost the right to complain about “vulgarity” from other countries until at least 2029.
Thank you CUNtCOKAT. I agree. Random use of vulgarities truly unwarranted.
Great race, Summer!
It wasn’t even close.
Did you just say the C word while applauding the restraint of using vulgarity?
Oh the irony lol
You have to understand she was fuming. Actually that was the first time she showed her anger or temperament in front of the camera, she must be extremely frustrated.
I always say to my groups: Don’t breath from the flags in on your finish…
I truly believe her last breath just past the flags, cost her the WR, she knew it and hence her reaction…..
She admitted that fact to Devin Heroux post race. Normally Summer is reserved and fully in control of her emotions. She was going for that WR, and she’ll get it soon. Big time difference between her and the rest of the field.
Summer’s 2:03 in the 200 fly in Paris was also a PB at the time. This narrative that she doesn’t go best times at big meets is just silly. No great swimmer can do it every time, and she does it and misses it about as often as most of the greats
Additionally using the 800m free as an example is weird as she hasn’t ever swam the 800m free at worlds or the Olympics so it isn’t possible to have swam it faster at those meets.
her season best progression has been 2.04.0 to 2:03.0 to 2:01.99, I smell a 2:01.0 next year
and 2:05.20 in 2022
And she did this after executing 7 races.
Imagine she pulled a Leon? She’d have that record. Girl is exhausted and still breaks 2:02. Amazing!
Actually she said she’s not that tired after the event. She should have taken fewer breath and went all out.
Surprised there are no repercussions for her clearly swearing after her race ?
…first time watching sports?
That’s not the pt .. is it?!
We should take away all Brady’s Superbowls I guess then
There are probably more F-bombs dropped in an average NFL game than there are total words spoken in an entire finals session of a swim meet.
Didn’t Regan Smith receive backlash for swearing after she got a world record last year ??
Backlash? Sure, same uptight people complaining about her immediate reaction that same way as they are now with Summer.
But you originally mentioned “repercussions”. Wtf kind of repercussions should there be to either Reagan or Summer for a immediate spontaneous reaction to their individual results. Neither of them were disrespecting a fellow competitor, they were reacting to their performance in events they put their heart and soul into.
I wonder how many of us watching that 200 fly today also didn’t drop an f bomb when we saw how close that was….
I know I did
🤣Brian Goodell!
… goes 2nd fastest time in history, wins gold by 3.0 sec… first point to make “swearing is bad”
the peanut gallery is something elsez
Not the pt. Not saying it wasn’t an incredible race .. simply asking a genuine question..
and I’m simply giving you a genuine analysis of your post… go clutch your pearls some where else.
They’re just mad because they know the record is hers to take. No one else stands a chance. She’ll get it soon.
If she had pulled a Leon she’d have it.
It was basically a given that Summer McIntosh would win 4 golds; her lead in the IMs, 400 free and 200 fly over the field this year is huge. Fifth is a toss up. My theory is that her super secret goal was to get WR in 200 butterfly and 800 free. She would then hold 5 long course WR at the same time.
It will happen by 2027 at the latest
aren’t you the chick that wsn’t impressed b Leon’s 152 WR?
Miss Summer has earned her right to swear.
OK then.
I loved the response, only fear is there’s a lot of pressure from somewhere. She’s only 18, gotta have fun with it.
It’s totally understandable, she was frustrated.
I don’t care. I swear every day.
Great swim Summer just continue to have Fun