Summer McIntosh sets a world championship record, wins third gold in three tries
McIntosh jumped out fast, led by 0.68 seconds after 50 meters and was never threatened, finishing in a world-championship record 2:01.99, 0.18 off the all-time mark set in 2009 by China's Liu Zige. McIntosh was ahead of the pace at the 150-meter mark but slipped just behind in the final stretch.
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American Regan Smith took silver, three seconds behind McIntosh, in 2:04.99. Australia's Elizabeth Dekkers earned bronze in 2:06.12.
It's the third gold in as many individual events at these world championships for McIntosh, the 18-year-old phenom who won three golds — including in the 200 fly — and a silver at last year's Paris Olympics. McIntosh won the 400-meter freestyle on Sunday and the 200-meter individual medley (IM) on Monday.
She has two more events to go in her quest to equal American legend Michael Phelps' feat of five individual gold medals at a single world championships. The 800-freestyle, with preliminary heats Thursday night Eastern time and the final Saturday morning, is next up and the trickier of the two. That's expected to be a showdown with American Katie Ledecky, the most decorated women's swimmer in history and owner of 12 of the 13 best times ever in the event — including her 800-meter split from her 1,500-meter gold-winning swim earlier this week.
But the other time on that list is McIntosh's, and both swimmers appear to be in top form in the event. At Canadian trials in June, McIntosh posted an 8:05.07, less than a second slower than Ledecky's world record and the only time under 8:09 from anyone besides Ledecky in the event's history.
That world record time, though, happened this summer too. Ledecky, who is 10-for-10 in the 800 at the Olympics and world championships, reset her 9-year-old mark in the 800 in May at a meet in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., finishing in 8:04.12.
McIntosh also has the 400-meter IM, where she'll be the favorite. She has the six fastest times ever in the event and has lowered the world record in each of the last three years, including in June at Canadian trials. Preliminary heats are Saturday with the final set for Sunday, the last day of worlds.
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McIntosh's 200 fly win was the first event of a packed semifinal and finals session. Later, French sensation Léon Marchand was scheduled to go for gold in the men's 200-meter IM, in which he set the world record just a day earlier. The Americans have shots at gold in the men's 100-meter freestyle and women's 50-meter backstroke finals, where Jack Alexy and Regan Smith, respectively, were the top qualifiers. The U.S. also qualified first for the women's 4×200-meter freestyle relay.
Also Thursday, semifinal rounds were scheduled in the women's 100-meter freestyle and 200-meter breaststroke, as well as the men's 200 breast and 200 back.
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