Katie Ledecky beats Summer McIntosh in 800m freestyle showdown at Pro Swim Series meet

Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh had an opportunity to redeem herself in opposition to United States legend Katie Ledecky however got here up brief by almost two seconds on Wednesday evening at a Pro Swim Series meet in Westmont, Ill.

Ledecky, who defeated McIntosh within the ladies’s 800-metre freestyle for a world championship gold medal final Aug. 2 in Singapore, retained bragging rights seven months later.

Ledecky touched the wall in eight minutes 8.57 seconds at FMC Aquatic Centre whereas McIntosh adopted in 8:10.45 in what shortly turned a two-athlete showdown. Maria Fernanda Costa of Brazil was third in 8:29.41.

McIntosh earned bronze that summer season day in Singapore behind silver medallist Lani Pallister of Australia.

Ledecky collected her report seventh world title and denied McIntosh in her bid to hitch American Michael Phelps as the one swimmers to win 5 particular person occasions at a single world championships.

Since final August, McIntosh has been coached by Bob Bowman on the University of Texas, the person who helped lead Phelps to 23 Olympic gold medals.

On Wednesday, the 28-year-old Ledecky fell nicely in need of her 8:04.12 world report from May 4, 2025 on the Fort Lauderdale Pro Series meet in Florida.

McIntosh, 19, additionally didn’t match or enhance her finest time of 8:05.07.

WATCH | Drive for five world gold medals will solely make McIntosh higher:

Drive for five expertise will solely make Summer McIntosh higher

While she simply missed out on 5 gold medals on the World Aquatics Championships, the Canadian teenage star gained useful expertise transferring ahead.

1st 200m freestyle race in almost 2 years

They have raced one another sparsely by means of their careers however will meet once more in Friday’s 200 free shortly after 7 p.m. ET.

McIntosh hasn’t raced the occasion for the reason that Canadian Olympic trials in May 2024 however holds the highest entered time of 1:53.65 from 2023 worlds.

It’s been almost a decade since Ledecky lowered her 1:53.73 finest on the 2016 Rio Olympics. In April 2024, she clocked 1:54.97 at a Pro Series occasion in San Antonio.

McIntosh, from Toronto, can even compete this week within the 200 butterfly, 200 particular person medley, 400 IM and 400 free.

On Jan. 17, she broke her second pool report in as many nights through the Pro Swim Series meet in Austin, Texas. Her time of 4:28.13 within the 400 IM took down the mark set in 2008 by Kirsty Coventry, the present International Olympic Committee president.

McIntosh gained the 200 IM the earlier evening in Austin in 2:08.48, breaking the earlier Austin pool mark by Madisyn Cox of Lubbock, Texas.

Westmont is the second of 4 Pro Series stops main as much as the Pan Pacific Championships in August in Irvine, Calif.