Canadian swimming sensation Summer McIntosh, at just 18 years old, delivered a monumental performance at the Bell Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria, British Columbia, by shattering the women's 400m freestyle world record. McIntosh clocked an astounding 3 minutes, 54.18 seconds, eclipsing the previous mark of 3:55.38 set by Australian rival Ariarne Titmus at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. This remarkable feat sends a clear signal of her intent ahead of this year's World Championships in Singapore.

McIntosh's swim was a display of sheer dominance and precision. She sliced a significant 1.20 seconds off Titmus's record. By the 200-metre mark, she was already 0.52 seconds under the world record pace, and with a lap to go, she had extended that lead to an incredible 1.39 seconds under. This achievement marks the biggest improvement on a women’s 400m world record since Katie Ledecky’s performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In the Victoria final, McIntosh finished more than 13 seconds ahead of her closest competitor, illustrating her commanding form.

Reflecting on her record-breaking swim, McIntosh expressed both confidence from her preparation and surprise at the final time. "Going into tonight, I knew that my training has been really good these past few months and I knew that I could do something special," McIntosh told the CBC broadcast. "I didn’t think my training would be [three minutes] 54.1 [seconds] but I’m really happy with that. I didn’t really feel a lot of pain in that. I flipped at the 200 and I was just cruising, so I knew that I was having a strong swim. I could tell by the crowd … that I was probably close to the world record, so I really tried to push that last part for them."

This is not the first time McIntosh has held the 400m freestyle world record. She previously set the standard in March 2023 with a time of 3:56.08, before Titmus reclaimed it a few months later in Japan. The young Canadian star is a decorated athlete, being a three-time Olympic gold medallist, a four-time World Aquatics champion, and a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist. She previously won gold in the 200m butterfly, 200m medley, and 400m medley at the Paris Olympic Games, and picked up a silver medal behind Titmus in the 400m freestyle at the same Games.

Meanwhile, Ariarne Titmus, the 24-year-old Australian swimmer who has won back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the 400m freestyle and still holds the 200m freestyle world record, is currently on a break from swimming. Titmus will not be competing at the upcoming Australian swimming trials in Adelaide (June 9-14), but will be present as a commentator for Channel Nine. "I don’t think I’ll be back to where I was until 2027 in terms of being my best," Titmus stated. "I’ve achieved everything I ever wanted to. I definitely wouldn’t have taken this break if I hadn’t become an Olympic champion or broken a world record already. Everything in my career from now on is a bonus for me." The Australian swimming trials will be broadcast live on Channel 9 and 9Now.

McIntosh's triumph in the 400m freestyle was her first race at the Canadian trials, where she is entered in a total of seven events, including the 800m freestyle, 400m individual medley, 200m individual medley, 200m freestyle, 200m butterfly, and 200m backstroke. She has indicated she aims to compete in five events at the World Championships in Singapore (July 11-August 3). Following her record swim, McIntosh was scheduled to compete in the 800m freestyle, where she would be aiming to challenge American Katie Ledecky’s world record. With Titmus taking a season off, McIntosh's main challenge in the 400m freestyle at the Worlds is expected to come from Ledecky.