2023 CANADIAN SWIMMING TRIALS
- March 28 – April 2, 2023
- Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre – Toronto, Ontario
- TPASC
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- Meet Central
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- Live Results
- Live Stream
- Day 1 Prelims Live Recap | Day 1 Finals Live Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
- Day 3 Prelims Live Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap
Two days after breaking her first world record, 16-year-old Summer McIntosh nearly took down another in the 200 IM on Thursday night.
McIntosh surged out ahead of world record pace, finishing in 2:06.89 to demolish the world junior and Canadian record of 2:08.08 that she posted earlier this month at the Pro Swim Series stop in Fort Lauderdale. She’s now the fourth-fastest swimmer of all time in the 200 IM behind only Siobhan-Marie O’Connor (2:06.88), Ariana Kukors (2:06.15), and Katinka Hosszu (2:06.12). She’s also the fastest in the event since O’Connor and Hosszu both went sub-2:07 at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Women’s 200 IM, All-Time Rankings
- Katinka Hosszu (HUN) – 2:06.12, 2015 World Champs
- Ariana Kukors (USA) – 2:06.15, 2009 World Champs
- Siobhan-Marie O’Connor (GBR) – 2:06.88, 2016 Olympics
- Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 2:06.89, 2023 Canadian Trials
- Stephanie Rice (AUS) – 2:07.03, 2009 World Champs
Compared to her previous best, McIntosh split faster on every stroke except for breast (38.63), where she only went .06 seconds slower. Her biggest improvement came on the backstroke leg (31.83), where she dropped more than half a second.
Splits Comparison
| McIntosh, Canadian Trials | McIntosh, PSS Ft. Lauderdale | |
| 50 Fly | 26.80 | 27.14 |
| 50 Back | 31.83 | 32.39 |
| 50 Breast | 38.63 | 38.57 |
| 50 Free | 29.63 | 29.98 |
| 200 IM | 2:06.89 | 2:08.08 |
McIntosh didn’t swim the 200 IM for two years following the COVID-19 pandemic before clocking a 2:12.71 on the Mare Nostrum tour last May. In the past 10 months, she has shaved nearly six seconds off her lifetime best in the event.
McIntosh now owns the fastest time this year by more than a second ahead of Australia’s Kaylee McKeown (2:08.27). She didn’t swim the 200 IM at last year’s World Championships, but her time tonight would have won gold ahead of Alex Walsh (2:07.13). She also would have won gold at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics by a similar margin over Japan’s Yui Ohashi (2:08.52).
Summer’s time was so impressive once again. She continues to push the envelope.
I was pleased to see Sydney and Mary-Sophie swim a great race as well.
By the way….the correct name is Siobhan-Marie O’Connor.
the more I think about the 200 fly WR, the more achievable it seems. Historically it looks like the 200 fly is faster than the 200 back by about a second ish? So it seems much less daunting to imagine the 200 fly WR as like a 2:02 high 200 back time instead.
Still obviously a very fast time, faster than the actual 200 back WR ofc, but I also think McIntosh can totally become better in the 200 fly than McKeown or Smith ar in the 200 back
If she can take her 2IM out in 58.6 then she could almost certainly be about the same of faster on the front have of the 2fly. Coming back in 1:03 mid to high definitely not impossible at some point.
Lots of ways to swim IMs, but to go 2.06 with a 38.6 breast leg is incredible. Hosszu & O’Connor were both 36s, and you can safely bet Walsh will be when she inevitably does it too. McKeown will need a 36s breast leg (and is capable of it) if she wants to go 2.06 too. McIntosh is breaking all the rules.
At this point, we’re on McIntosh WR watch in the 400 IM/200 Free (Ordered by most likely). Maybe we’ll also see a 2:03 mid from her in the 200 Fly.
I would say the 400IM is very likely to go down this week. Not sure I see her dropping 1.2 seconds in the 200 free since she swam it a few weeks ago. But she is full of surprises so I could certainly be wrong.
She dropped 1.19 in an event she swum a few weeks ago…
she dropped that much in the 200 IM despite not cutting time on the breaststroke leg (which I assumed would be the easiest to do out of the 4 strokes) so honestly who knows
She wasn’t tapered a few weeks ago 👀
The SMOC really flew under the radar because she finished second in that race to Hosszu, you really never hear anyone talk about it
It was the most underrated swim in Rio in my opinion.
I would say it’s between that and Garcia/Groves going 2:04.85 and 2:04.88 in the 200 fly. Zhang Yufei’s Tokyo final swim is the only swim since Rio to beat them (or even come close really)
Agreed.
SMOC very quick semi (2:07.57) forced Hosszu to withdraw from 200 fly.
Yes, as a Brit, I am aware of just how good she was. Such a shame she had her health problems, which ended her career.
Basically, whatever Summer is swimming, the world records are on borrowed time and I think that includes the 200 fly as well.
that’s the 2:01, right??
idk man…
Either of the IMs or 200 free, sure. But 2:01 is WAY out there.
Edit – Hm it is a 2:01.8, if it was low I’d say almost no way.
Yes, it is the 2:01. I know it’s hard but she is 16! We thought 100 free men’s WR was hard too but it took Popovici less than a year to break it (17 to 18).
You’re not wrong, but also…she’s gotta plateau somewhere.
If she becomes the only person to ever go a 2:02 in the next year or I could see it, but idk it’s so far out there. (I’m talking myself into it as I type these comments, hah.)
Tend to agree with Steve on this one.
The 200FLY is, by far, the least likely on the SM WR’s “to do” list. Far from out of the question that she may do so but it’s the biggest “reach”.
IF she drops a 2.02 in the near to medium term …. then clearly it’s time for a recalibration of the odds but that has not as yet occurred.
Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was something fishy going on with that 2:01 world record, because nobody’s ever been close to it.
I think someone on Twitter once said she acutally wore two suits at once, so there was even more buoyancy. I have no idea if it´s true tho
Hmmm. I’ve never heard that. In fact, I seem to remember some records being disallowed because the swimmer was wearing two suits early in the rise of the supersuits.
Keep being salty
It’s cute that I have a reply-guy now.
I literally said I was talking myself into her being able to break that record, lol.
(And just the other day was talking about how I’d have to root for her just b/c of how much of a conniption she’d give the Aussies.)
But I’m just being salty!!
Summer loves the 200 fly because her Mum swam it at the Olympics. If she keeps that positivity about it, then I think it’s definitely a strong possibility.
Oh huh, that’s good info! In one of my earlier posts I was going to include a line about her focus being so broad right now that it seemed unlikely she’d really put enough eggs into the 200 Fly basket to get it. (Like with Milak, he had that otherworldly 200 fly to break the WR but was comparatively “weak” in his other events.)
That does change the calculus a bit and now I’m talking myself into it even more, lol. It’s still the least likely of any of the records just because of how out-there it is, but if there’s anyone we know of right now with even a glimmer of a chance it’d be her.
I think Summer can get within two seconds of Liu’s WR on Friday night. And at 16, my money would be on her to eventually sneak under when her career peaks.
Zhang’s 2.03.86 from Tokyo is the textile best and a realistic target. That’s the time I’m looking for tonight.
It’s hard to predict because on one hand, she’s already swimming at such a high level such that anyone around her speed is usually just trying to just cut tenths or even hundredths off their time, but on the other hand, she’s an age grouper making age group like time drops
Like looking at the 400 free, Ledecky was 3:59.9 when she was McIntosh’s age and dropped 3.5 seconds over the next 3 years. Part of me thinks that 3:52.5 in the 400 is absolutely ridiculous and that not even McIntosh could do that, but the other part is me is thinking why not? Ledecky cut 3 seconds off the WR and it’s not even her best distance, who’s… Read more »
58.63 first hundred- for perspective, between the 100 fly and 100 back, it took an average of 58.95 to make the A final at 2022 Worlds