Canada’s McIntosh wins second gold at world swimming championships

It wasn’t the time she hoped for, however the objective of gold was achieved for Summer McIntosh.

McIntosh received her second gold medal on the world swimming championships, taking the ladies’s 200-metre particular person medley on Monday. 

The 18-year-old Toronto native touched the wall in two minutes 6.69 seconds — almost two seconds forward of American Alex Walsh, who claimed silver in 2:08.58.

Fellow Canadian Mary-Sophie Harvey, of Laval, Que., received bronze in 2:09.15.

The profitable time trailed McIntosh’s world document of two:05.70.

“Going in tonight, my goal was to get my hand on the wall first,” McIntosh mentioned. “So to get that done is good. I’m not super happy with my time. But honestly, at a world championships, my goal is just to go as fast as I can against my competitors. Still happy with the gold and hoping to keep up my streak next time.”

For Harvey, it was her first-ever particular person long-course worlds medal. The 25-year-old completed fourth in three occasions on the Paris Olympics, however lastly broke by means of at her fourth long-course worlds.

“It’s my first individual (medal) so I’m pretty happy about it and I think it set the tone nicely for the rest of the week,” Harvey mentioned.

“It was pretty special to share the podium with one of my teammates,” Harvey mentioned of McIntosh. “She’s pushing the boundaries for swimming in general, and to stand alongside her is just something I will cherish for a long time.”

McIntosh mentioned Harvey’s breakthrough bronze was the spotlight of her night time.

 “That was so incredible,” she mentioned. “She’s worked so hard for this and to see her get the result I think she’s over the moon about it. She deserves it, and to share that moment for Team Canada was amazing.”

Yu Zidi, a Chinese 12-year-old phenom, completed fourth in 2:09.21, simply lacking a medal as she astounded the swim world along with her occasions. She can also be because of compete within the 400 IM and 200 butterfly, most likely her strongest occasions.

McIntosh is aiming for 5 particular person golds on the eight-day meet. Monday’s win made it two down, with the 400 particular person medley, 800 freestyle and 200 butterfly nonetheless to come back.

Famed Olympian Michael Phelps is the one swimmer to have received 5 particular person gold medals at a world championships.

Canada now has 4 medals on the world aquatics championships, together with a silver within the ladies’s 20-metre excessive diving by Montreal’s Simone Leathead, which was the nation’s first medal of the competitors.

Also Monday, Kylie Masse of LaSalle, Ont., superior to Tuesday’s 100 backstroke closing with a semifinal time of 58.66 seconds, the third-fastest of the spherical. Taylor Ruck of Kelowna, B.C., additionally moved on with a time of 59.18.

Gretchen Walsh broke by means of on Monday with the primary gold in Singapore for the United States, taking the 100 butterfly in 54.73.

The silver medalist a yr in the past in Paris, Walsh was simply off her world-record time of 54.60 set earlier this yr. Roos Vanotterdijk of Belgium took silver in 55.84, and Alexandria Perkins of Australia claimed bronze in 56.33.

Walsh acknowledged in a post-race interview at poolside that the American crew had been hit with a bout of what crew officers known as “acute gastroenteritis.”

It was picked up at a coaching camp in Thailand earlier than arrival in Singapore. U.S. officers have confirmed the outbreak however have given few particulars and haven’t named the swimmer nor mentioned what number of have been affected.

“With the illness that’s been going on — I faced it back the last couple days — my body has just been fragile, and I think that I’ve needed to give myself grace,” Walsh mentioned. “Luckily, I had the morning to recuperate and relaxation, and I used that, and that helped me enormously going into tonight, so I attempted to profit from it.

“It was not easy, and I’m just really proud of myself,” Walsh added, thrilled to be beneath 55 seconds. “It took a lot of guts. I just wanted to go out there and do it for my team, just represent the flag well. It came out of somewhere, but I’m really, really happy.”

Walsh’s older sister Alex was nearly even with McIntosh after 150 meters, swimming a robust breaststroke leg to make it a race.

“I was really excited on the breaststroke leg,” she mentioned. “I could see her and I knew I was kind of gaining on her because breaststroke is my best stroke. I was really excited and, obviously, coming home on the freestyle, that’s definitely where my biggest weakness (is).”

Two different finals wrapped up Monday’s schedule.

Qin Haiyang, the world champion in 2023, defeated Paris Olympic winner Nicolo Martinenghi of Italy within the 100 breaststroke. Qin clocked 58.23 to offer China its first gold in Singapore, with the Italian swimmer ending in 58.58. Denis Petrashov of Kyrgyzstan took bronze in 58.88.

“I’ve been injured and it’s not been easy to get back to my best,” Haiyang mentioned. “I’m at best at 70 per cent. I’m probably lucky. This definitely helps with my confidence.”

In the lads’s 50 butterfly, Maxime Grousset of France edged Noe Ponti of Switzerland. Grousset clocked 22.48 with Ponti ending in 22.51. Thomas Ceccon of Italy took bronze in 22.67.

— With recordsdata from the Associated Press