Earlier this week, we covered Summer McIntosh entering these World Championships looking to win medals in five individual events at a single World Championships, a feat only done by two swimmers in history, Sarah Sjoström and Michael Phelps. But with one of the most ambitious schedules at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships, how many of those medals will be gold?
The 18-year-old phenom enters the meet in Singapore as the top seed in four of her five individual events. Each race, however, has its own set of challenges. So what races will trip up McIntosh, and what ones will she dominate?
1. 800 Freestyle
If there’s one event on McIntosh’s slate that can be looked at as a real toss-up, it’s the 800 freestyle. This race sets up a head-to-head showdown with American legend Katie Ledecky, and it’s the only event where McIntosh is not the top seed. This race has the smallest margin of error for McIntosh if she wants to come out on top.
McIntosh is seeded second behind Ledecky, the world record holder and six-time world champion in this event. Ledecky’s 8:04.12 leads the field, while McIntosh comes in just behind at 8:05.07.
What makes this matchup even more compelling is the recent comment from McIntosh’s coach, Fred Vergnoux, in an interview with CBC, claimed that Summer could “go under eight minutes… no question.” Breaking 8 minutes would be a near-automatic win in the event, and yet to an outsider this feels like the event where she is most vulnerable to defeat. Even a personal best won’t necessarily win the gold here: if McIntosh wants to win the 800 free, she will need to take down a red-hot Ledecky in the process.
There’s also another layer to consider in this battle. The 800 comes near the tail end of both swimmers’ meets. There is a high likelihood that McIntosh would have already raced in nine individual races coming into the 800 freestyle final, while Ledecky will only have swum five.
2. 400 Freestyle
This race will be the first championship final for both McIntosh and Ledecky, and it will set the tone for the rest of the meet for each competitor.
For McIntosh, this is one of her most complete events. After obliterating the World Record (previously held by Ariarne Titmus at 3:55.38) at Canadian Trials, McIntosh’s 3:54.18 is over two and a half seconds faster than Ledecky’s seed time.
While the time gap between the two may seem like a done deal for McIntosh, there is another event in the same session that McIntosh will need to swim after her 400 free final, the 200 IM semifinals. With that race looming later in the session, and Ledecky being able to give it her everything in this race, McIntosh won’t be able to hold anything back against her familiar foe.
Ledecky has shown that she is on her A game coming into Singapore, and if the last few months have shown us anything, it’s that this race has the potential to be just as compelling as the 800 free.
3. 200 Butterfly
McIntosh’s 200 fly may not look like the biggest matchup on paper, but in events where she is the top seed, this race has the closest 2nd seed.
Regan Smith is seeded 1.58 seconds behind McIntosh’s 2:02.26, and that may be the chip on Smith’s shoulder that she needs to light her competitive fire that we saw heading into the Paris Olympics last summer.
Both swimmers have a different style of racing the 200 fly. McIntosh settles into her long, and very controlled rhythm, and with her mid-distance and distance expertise, we know she will be able to close. Smith differs in that she has plenty of flat-out speed, and she has a quicker stroke rate, but if she can push the pace on McIntosh, that could be where Smith puts McIntosh on the ropes.
4. 200 IM
Entering this race, McIntosh’s seed time of 2:05.70 leads the next closest time of 2:07.45 from Alex Walsh. Not only is McIntosh efficient in the IMs, but her technically sound strokes give her an edge, as she has no clear weaknesses across all four strokes.
Walsh brings a lot of experience into this showdown; she has an Olympic silver from Tokyo and a world title from 2022 in this event. Along with Yu Yiting of China, who will be looking to get back to the podium as she did in Doha and Fukuoka, where she won the bronze at both meets in this event.
For McIntosh, if she swims near her entered time, this race can be decided by the final turn at the 150-meter mark.
Walsh hasn’t been a best time in this race since swimming 2:07.13 at the 2022 World Championships to win gold. It feels like a 2:06 is almost taper-automatic for summer at this point, with another 2:05 like she did at Trials a possibility.
5. 400 IM
There is no debate here that the 400 IM starts and finishes with Summer McIntosh. Her entry time is nearly 10 seconds quicker than the rest of the field.
For McIntosh, she should own this race from the second she dives off the blocks. Her 4:23.65 World Record is what people will be watching. Beyond the World Record, this race will be a race to fill out the rest of the podium.
There is a possibility that McIntosh can leave Singapore with five individual golds. If McIntosh delivers her best, these World Championships could be another decorated chapter of an already storied young career.
Summer seems pretty much unbeatable and likely will remain so until the next up and comer comes and wins. I think there is zero chance Ledecky will beat her in the 400 or 800.
You must have just started watching sports
Did anyone at Swimswam or elsewhere actually watch the full interview with Summer McIntosh’s coach Vergnoux posted above? I will be surprised if no one at World Aquatics, Swim Canada or France’s swim federation raises issue with him regarding his discussion of his relative hugging of Mireia Belmonte and Summer McIntosh. Has no one learned the lessons from the Rubiales-Hermoso situation with soccer? Vergnoux discusses that he used to have more “contact” with Belmonte than he does with the still “very young” and “innocent” Summer, and he seems to express disappointment that he has only hugged Summer three times (once after each WR!). “You have to work for those ones,” replies Brittany MacLean. Really?
Sis you’re trying way too hard.
1) There’s nothing against the law about wanting a hug. The fact that they have only hugged three times says that he’s behaving completely appropriately. If he said “she only wanted to hug me 3 times but we hugged 72 times,” that would be inappropriate.
2) He didn’t even say “I want Summer to hug me more.” He just compared/contrasted the difference.
Some people like hugging. That’s okay, as long as they respect it when other people don’t like hugging. This is how consent actually works, not whatever warped version of it you’ve learned from TikTok. It has zero similarity to the Rubiales-Hermoso situation.
It surely is a POSSIBLE red flag when a swim coach uses hugging and “contact” as a metric to describe or compare his swimmers, and Vergnoux should know better. Vergnoux may not be doing anything unlawful but the fact that this was top of his mind in an interview and he was lamenting fewer hugs from Summer and stating forthrightly that he had more “contact” with Mireia (whom he stereotypically describes as having more “emotionality” as a Spaniard as opposed to the still “very young” “shy” and “innocent” Canadian Summer) is troubling and a POSSIBLE red flag. There have been enough of these situations in the swim and Olympic and sports communities that looking the other way is no longer… Read more »
Maybe it’s good she’s not staying in France 0-0
I can understand if you got a weird vibe. People can read into it how they like but it’s a bit ridiculous to interpret that as an actual scandalous statement that World Aquatics, Swim Canada or France will address. I say this for people to actually watch the interview, does anyone think that’s at all comparable to the Rubiales-Hermoso situation, like seriously?
Again, it depends how you read into it. On the surface, he was talking about the cultural difference in how the swimmers express themselves and the young and innocent comment was referring to how Summer is so fully devoted to her craft (without burnout that comes with age). Maybe you can interpret some creepy undertones, that’s down… Read more »
This is not an inadvertent “gotcha” moment like the CEO at the Coldplay concert. This is a Coach making his own affirmative statements in an on-camera interview, and the statements are out there publicly. It would be silly to ignore the comments. I guess if the relevant sports authorities do ignore them now, it will be on them. It’s not a hard thing to investigate.
What are you going to investigate?
“Coach Fred: how many times have you hugged Summer?”
“3 times”
“Did she want to hug you?”
“Yes, she initiated the hug.”
Like…not hugging is not a violation of any kind??? I genuinely don’t understand what you’re on about. This is kind of crazy. You’re an accusation in search of a problem.
Like a coach in search of hugs?
The pattern of Vergnoux’s behavior is significant. His treatment of Belmonte (with whom he states he had more “contact” and “emotionality”) and other past swimmers may be significant. It is irrelevant if the swimmer initiates the contact; it is still wrong if the coach inappropriately uses the power dynamic for physical contact. His past and present swimmers should be interviewed. Here, Vergnoux could make Summer feel uncomfortable that she has not displayed what Vergnoux believes to be approproiate affection towards him via the hugging, Have also seen an interview where Vergnoux states that Belmonte would stay after practices for 30 minutes, purportedly to discuss swimming. That is another unusual fact, may be… Read more »
its unusual to debrief or discuss swimming with your coach?
For a half-hour after practice on a frequent basis, yes it would be. A normal, tired adult pro swimmer would want to be in their car on their way home. A good coach would want that for the swimmer also
is your name mireia belmonte or has she communicated to that effect?
I remember when “me too” was about believing women. Now it’s about projecting onto women.
After Masters practice, I hang out at the Y with my teammates quite often – chit chat, have a cup of coffee. That’s the best part.
this is a reach and the insinuation youre making is creepy.
I agree.
I,m from the taliban and men shouldn’t hug women.
Definitely the 400 and 800 free will be Summer’s toughest tests. Racing against a peak Katie Ledecky who has turned back the clock ten years will be the ultimate challenge for McIntosh.
The 800 especially will be eight minutes of strenuous close quarter racing at its finest. It should be a heck of a race between two fierce competitors who tend not to lose very often.
More so the 800 free me thinks.
Prolly the calendar, the concept of linear time. Things like that
Do we think we’ll definitely see her make the move to Bob? She seems to have made huge strides with Fred and it sounds like she really trusts his training.
It has been confirmed.
Facing a peak Katie Ledecky will more than test Summer’s mettle in Singapore.
I’m very much looking forward to watching Katie and Summer go at it in both the 400 and 800.
The 800 has a chance to be the pinnacle event in Singapore. Two very proud athletes going head to head for eight very strenuous minutes in what has the possibility of almost being a match race. This should be close quarter racing at its finest.
The 800, no doubt is Katie Ledecky’s event. She has dominated this race for over a decade and is not about to give it up without a tremendous fight. Old lion vs young lion!
I have no doubt this… Read more »
Titmus would have made the 400 Free one of the races of the century. Unbelievable that she is not swimming. Who takes a year off while in your prime?
She also took 2002 off & came back & broke the WR & won Gold in Paris.
She took 2002 off.
Came back winning 2023 Worlds in WR time.
Continued to win 2024 Olympics.
Pretty sure she’s happy.
People underestimate Arnie.
To stop swimming when you’re still only a toddler then come back and set a world record 21 years later. Awesome
You’re the second comment to mention she took 2002 off.
She was 2 years old in 2002.
eh?? 2022 she raced the Aussie trials + Comm games and a few tune events prior to that.need to look no further then her World aquatics page.
she did skip 2022 worlds in the process though
I think Titmus knows what is good for her physically and mentally if she wants to continue on.
Every swimmer is different and each swimmer should listen what works for them in the long run.
Not every swimmer can be Ledecky, and that’s ok. She’s after all the GOAT.
I don’t know why people keep questioning Ariarne when she clearly knows herself well and knows what she needs. She has taken breaks before and it hasn’t slowed her down. Katie Ledecky took an extended break (for her) and did not train in Fall 2024 and look at her results in 2025 thus far.
this will be our 4th long course world championships in 4 years – 22 Budapest 23 Fukuoka 24 Doha 25 Singapore – forget about the swimmers I need a break.
Immediately before Fred Vernoux said Summer could go under 8 mins, he mentioned how she has only raced the 800 four or five times, suggesting she needed more experience at this distance. It was clear he meant that she could go under 8 mins eventually, not necessarily in Singapore
This would require a Joseph Schooling world record in practice-type effort
Yes, that’s exactly how I heard it
Which of course isn’t true…she’s got 23 results in long course alone in SwimRankings, plus 11 times in short course.
Yes, she swam it at the Tokyo Olympics at age 14. All but about 5 of those results were before then. And the main point is true, which is Fred Vernoux clearly meant that she could break 8 mins eventually not necessarily any time soon. He thinks Summer is just getting started…
The fact that Summer is off the WR by only 1 second in the 800 which she rarely races is amazing.♡
I have been following Summer’s swimming since 2023 and have never seen her race the 1500.
I have only seen her race the 800 three times in that timespan.
Also important to note Ledecky racesthese2 events in EVERY single competition she is in.
She reached times of 8.11, 8.09 and 8.05 in 2 minor competitions and 1 Cdn Nationals. So, definitely the underdog in the 800.
I also took his under 8 minute comment to be about the future, not Singapore.