Canada’s Summer McIntosh wins 400m freestyle at world championships, eyes 5 particular person golds

SINGAPORE — For Summer McIntosh of Canada, it is one gold medal gained on the swimming world championships with 4 to go.

McIntosh is aiming to win 5 gold medals in particular person occasions on the worlds in Singapore, and the primary one got here Sunday within the 400-meter freestyle on the primary of eight days within the pool.

Only legendary American Michael Phelps has ever gained 5 particular person medals within the worlds. He additionally did it on the Olympics.

McIntosh gained however didn’t break her personal world file, successful in 3 minutes, 56.26 seconds. Li Bingjie of China took silver (3:58.21) with a late cost to depart American Katie Ledecky (3:58.49) with bronze.

A yr in the past within the Olympics, Ledecky additionally took bronze within the 400. McIntosh was the silver medalist with gold for Australian Ariarne Titmus of Australia.

Titmus is taking a yr off and didn’t swim and has since misplaced her world file within the occasion to McIntosh.

For Ledecky, a nine-time Olympic gold medalist, it was her twenty seventh medal on the earth championships in an astonishing profession.

She gained her first Olympic gold in 2012 in London, after which began including world championship medals starting in Barcelona in 2013.

About 25 minutes after successful the 400, McIntosh got here again and certified first within the 200 particular person medley, clocking 2:07.39. American Alex Walsh was second in 2:08.49. That closing is Monday.

“I’ve never done a double like that,” McIntosh mentioned. “I think the 400 free, at past world championships and Olympics, I haven’t been at my best. And I haven’t been where I wanted to be. So, to finally stand in the center of the podium is promising for the rest of the meet.”

The Canadian added: I believe I’m at my finest. I’m in the very best form of my life. So now I simply must act on that and put it into all my races.”

The shock of the first day might have been Chinese 12-year-old Yu Zidi, who was the seventh fastest in qualifying and will swim in the final.

Asked her reaction, she replied: “Oh, I’m in,” unaware she had superior.

“I’ll proceed to work more durable,” she added. “I hope to discover a breakthrough at these world championships and present my potential.”

Asked for her reaction to the competition, she added. “You can really feel it is fairly intense. I strive to not suppose a lot and simply give it my all.”

The 200 IM might not even be her best event with the Chinese likely quicker in the 400 IM and the 200 butterfly.

Meanwhile, the United States is swimming with what appears to be a weakened team after officials acknowledged Sunday that some members of the team had come down with “acute gastroenteritis” at a training camp in Thailand prior to arriving in Singapore.

Nikki Warner, a spokeswoman for USA Swimming, would not say how many fell ill in Thailand. She cited health confidentiality rules. She said all American swimmers had traveled to Singapore.

In the other early individual final Sunday, Lukas Martens of Germany won the men’s 400 free in 3:42.35, edging Sam Short of Australia who was .02 behind. Bronze went to Kim Woomin of South Korea in 3:42.60.

Martens is the defending Olympic champion and also holds the world record of 3:39.96.

McIntosh, who won three gold medals a year ago at the Paris Olympics, holds the world record in the 400 free — 3:54.18. She will face off again with Ledecky in the 800 free later in the meet, probably the most anticipated race in Singapore.

Though she holds the 400 free world record, McIntosh had failed to win gold in the event in the Olympics or previous world championships.

McIntosh will also be after gold in the 200- and 400-individual medleys, and the 200 butterfly.

The other two gold medals Sunday were in the relays. The United States was the favorite in both and failed to win either.

The Australian women took gold just ahead of the United States in the 4×100 freestyle relay. The Aussies clocked 3:30.60 with 3:31.04 for the US. The Netherlands took bronze in 3:33.89.

On the men’s side in the 4×100, Australia also took gold in 3:08.97. Italy took silver in 3:09.58 with bronze for the United States in 3:09.64.

There were three other semifinal results on Sunday.

Qin Haiyang of China took the 200 breaststroke in 58.24 with Paris Olympic champion Nicolo Martinenghi second in 58.62. The Italian was initially disqualified for moving on the blocks, but was later reinstated on appeal.

Gretchen Walsh of the United States and Roos Vanotterdijk of Belgium tied in the 100 butterfly in 56.07, and Maxime Grousset of France took the men’s 50 fly in 22.61.

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