Canadian superstar Summer McIntosh shared some of her goal times in a few key events during her recent interview with Mel Stewart on the SwimSwam Podcast, including one in a race she hasn’t contested on the international stage in a few years.
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McIntosh, now 19, is coming off another standout year in the pool that saw her shatter world records in the women’s 400 free (3:54.18), 200 IM (2:05.70) and 400 IM (4:23.65) while also winning gold at the World Championships in those three races plus the 200 fly, where she became the second-fastest woman in history and fastest ever in a textile suit in 2:01.99.
Despite her incredibly successful year, the race that many remember most from the 2025 World Championships was the one individual race where McIntosh suffered defeat, the women’s 800 free.
After recording the third-fastest swim ever at the Canadian Trials in 8:05.07, McIntosh settled for bronze in Singapore in a time of 8:07.29, as Katie Ledecky continued her reign of dominance with the victory in 8:05.62, while Australian Lani Pallister was the surprise silver medalist ahead of McIntosh in 8:05.98.
McIntosh said during the interview that she wants to go 8:04 “or faster” in the 800 free, which is a reasonable goal considering she’s already been 8:05.0, but also likely goes without saying she’s thinking about Ledecky’s world record of 8:04.12, which she set just last May after her previous mark of 8:04.79 had been on the books since 2016.
The first race McIntosh mentioned when asked about any future goal times was the 200 fly, which comes as no surprise after she took a serious run at Liu Zige‘s vaunted super-suited world record during the year.
McIntosh said she wants to break the 200 fly world record, which stands at 2:01.81 from Liu in 2009. “I’ve been pretty open about that,” said McIntosh, who lowered her best time from 2:03.03 to 2:02.26 at the Canadian Trials in June, and then got down to 2:01.99 at the World Championships in July.
The other race she mentioned was the 200 free, which she has opted not to race individually at the last two major international meets (2024 Olympics, 2025 Worlds), with her last appearance being at the 2023 World Championships, where she won bronze.
McIntosh set her best time of 1:53.65 at the 2023 Worlds, and narrowly missed it at the 2024 Olympic Trials (1:53.69), but wants to take it to the next level soon.
“I definitely want to get to 1:52 at some point in the near future,” she said.
Ranking 5th all-time currently, McIntosh would join an exclusive club if she achieves that goal, with only Ariarne Titmus (1:52.23), Mollie O’Callaghan (1:52.48) and Federica Pellegrini (1:52.98) having broken 1:53 in the history of the sport.
If she were to achieve these three goals in 2026, it’s possible McIntosh could own six individual LC world records simultaneously, which would be unprecedented.
Now training with Bob Bowman at the University of Texas, six individual LC world records for McIntosh would surpass what Bowman’s former pupil, Michael Phelps, was capable of at his peak.
Phelps broke four individual world records at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and then in early July 2009, he took ownership of the 100 fly record to hold five simultaneously, though he lost the 200 free and 200 IM records a few weeks later at the World Championships.
Australian Shane Gould has also held five world records simultaneously in the early 1970s, and held world records in six different individual events, but never quite owned six at one time.
McIntosh also said she wants to continue chipping away at her current world records in the 400 free, 200 IM and 400 IM, having already made history by becoming the first woman sub-3:55 in the 400, first sub-2:06 in the 200 IM, and first sub-4:24, 4:25 and 4:26 in the 400 IM
Guys, since McIntosh swam 1:53.6 in the 200free, her 200fly PB has dropped 2.0seconds, her 200IM PB has dropped by 1.2seconds, her 400free PB has dropped by 1.9s.
I’d think a 1:52 free target is really a softball goal. If she swam the 200free at trials last year she probably would’ve been 1:52.2-1:52.6
So washed.
Lol i thought this was funny at least
I love Summer’s moxie, swagger or whatever you want to call it but she has it in spades.
I’m excited to see what time she can put down in the 200 free and I have to believe that the longstanding 200 fly WR will go down at some point in 2026.
Summer was just named by CP ( Canadian Press) as Canada’s female athlete of the year for the third straight year. Only the great Canadian figure skater Barbara Anne Scott has duplicated this achievement.
Summer is a generational talent for sure, with all the qualities that go with that.
Barbara Ann Scott goes way back to 1948, so to be the only other to win this award three years in a row is quite the accomplishment.
Not even the sky is the limit for McQueentosh
Yes, but if Mol dog has a full, smooth sailing, injury free training block. I would have to say a very tangible limit is in the way.
Next 200 back and 100 fly
ummm Kaylee and Gretchen ??
I could see her being good at the 200 back but I don’t think she has enough speed for the 100 fly.. and no ones catching Gretchen for now
Sub 55 is easy for the goat
Australia beefing with US meanwhile McIntosh owns you both like a pet goldfish.
“If she were to achieve these three goals in 2026, it’s possible McIntosh could own six individual LC world records simultaneously, which would be unprecedented”
This is not correct.
For a period of a few weeks, Shane Gould owned world records simultaneously in:
100 free
200 free
400 free
800 free
1500 free
200 IM
Doubt it
If you doubt it you are simply ignorant.
She is the only person, male or female, to hold every world freestyle record from 100 metres to 1500 metres and the 200-metre individual medley world record simultaneously, which she did from 12 December 1971 to 1 September 1972.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane_Gould
I just check your link, and you got it wrong, it says that she holded 5 (not 6) Long Course Meters world records simultaneously…. and all her records (except 1) were freestyle, Summers have other records (more than one) from different style, so that to me alone shows that Summers is closer to Phelps supremacy than Gould is…..
No one said anything about supremacy or Phelps. Just stating a fact about accuracy and precedent for simultaneously holding 6 LCM WRs.
a simple search of wikipedia will inform of what an amazing swimmer and person is Shane Gould and certainly not
deserving of downvotes
that was in the early 1970s, and now in the 2020s I am a huge fan of Summer
Same.
I am a huge fan of Summer. And you can search my comments from 2022 onwards using different usernames that I am a huge fan of Summer and I always thought she would become the next GOAT.
She never held all 6 simultaneously. But she held 5 simultaneous on two separate occasions.
She held the 100free to 1500free (5 records) from 12 December 71 to 4 August 72 when her 200free record was broken at US trials. Her 800 free world record was broken on August 6th at US trials aswell.
She broke the 200im world record on August 28th 1972 at the Munich Olympics and reclaimed her 200 free world record on September 1st 1972. But she never got her 800free record back. So she held the 100, 200, 400, 1500free and 200im from September 1st 1972 until April 13th 1973 when her 200im record was broken by Kornelia Ender.
WIki entry has been fixed. So we are clear: she never held 6 simultaneously. WIki was wrong.