by The Teenager phenomenon Summer Mcintosh captured gold in an ominous way on Sunday when Australia called for a relay on Sunday.
The 18-year-old Canadian started her full program with a dominant performance in the 400 m freestyle of women and bumped home 56.26 seconds in 3 minutes, almost two seconds from China’s Li Bingjie, the American Great Katie Ledecky followed in bronze by American Great Katie Ledecky.
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It was the first world championship title of world record holder Mcintosh in the event when she followed five individual cups in Singapore.
After the Australian Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus skipped the championships before preparing for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, the race was charged as a showdown between Mcintosh and Lecky.
But Mcintosh took control early and continued to move further in the course of the race.
“I think the 400 freestyle in earlier World Championships and Olympic Games was not of my best and wasn’t where I wanted to be,” she said.
“So it is promising for the rest of the meeting to finally stand in the middle of the podium.”
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Mcintosh, who broke three world records in the Canadian exams in the run-up to the world, jumped back to the pool 20 minutes after winning gold for the 200 m medley semi-final.
She qualified for the finale with the fastest time and said that she was “in the best form of my life”.
“Now I just have to react to it and insert it into all of my races,” she added.
Mcintosh was accompanied on Monday 200m in the final of 12-year-old Yu Zidi on Monday.
The schoolgirl who swimming with homework was pressing the final in her best event.
“I’m there? Oh. I’m looking forward to it and will continue to work harder,” she said.
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“I hope to find a breakthrough at these World Championships and show my potential.”
– Maertens Pips Short –
Germany’s Lukas Maertens won a nail gold in the 400 m freestyle of the men, which Australia’s Sam Short did by 0.02 seconds.
Maertens, the Olympic champion and world record holder, became world champion for the first time.
The German compatriot Florian Wellbrock won four gold men in the open water events in Singapore and Maertens said that their country took a “big step forward”.
“All girls and boys are a really young team and there is still a lot to come,” he said.
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“Now I’m one of the old boys and I’m 23. That means a lot and I’m really proud to be in the German team.”
Maertens came home after a violent fight with short, the 2023 world champion, 42.35 seconds in 3 minutes.
The South Korean Kim Woo-Min, the reigning world champion, was third in 3: 42.60.
Maertens was the favorite after broken the world record in Stockholm in April, a brand that had stood since 2009.
But briefly fought him in every blow and lost after an incredible argument.
“There was a lot of pressure, even as a world record holder, it was not easy to fight these boys,” said Maertens.
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Australia ended the opening evening at a maximum after both their women and men’s teams had won the 4x100m freestyle relay.
The women’s team from Mollie O’Callaghan, Meg Harris, Milla Jansen and Olivia Wunsch came home with third place in front of the USA.
Flynn Southam, Kai James Taylor, Maximillian Giuliani and Kyle Chalmers then completed the double and end in front of Italy and the Americans in the men’s race.
Her winning time of 3: 08.97 was a world championship record.
“We teamed up very well in the camp and preparations – we believed that we could do it and we did it,” said Chalmers.
AMK/PST
