Summer McIntosh Targeting A Michael Phelps Record At 2025 World Aquatic Championships
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Summer McIntosh aims to match Michael Phelps by winning five individual golds at a single World Aquatic Championships.
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July 26, 2025
06:41 PM
Forbes
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It's worth noting that SportsMoneySummer McIntosh Targeting A Michael Phelps Record At 2025 World Aquatic ChampionshipsBySophie Kaufman, Contributor
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Sophie Kaufman covers Olympic sports with a focus on swimming AuthorJul 26, 2025, 06:41pm EDTJul 26, 2025, 06:42pm EDTNANTERRE, FRANCE - JULY 29: Summer McIntosh of Team Canada celebrates after winning gold in the
More Women’s 400m Individual Medley Final on day three of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on July 29, 2024 in Nanterre, France (this bears monitoring). (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)Getty Images Summer McIntosh is only 18 years old, but the Canadian swimming phenom is already looking to put her name in the history books next to swimming’s greatest of all time, Michael Phelps
When pool swimming begins at 2025 World Aquatic Championships on Sunday, July 27 in Singapore, McIntosh will start her quest for five individual gold medals at the competition
Phelps is the only other swimmer to win five individual golds at a World Championship—a feat he achieved in 2007, the summer before his historic performance at the 2008 Olympics
Moreover, In contrast, It means a busy week for the young superstar, in this volatile climate
Over the eight-day competition, McIntosh will race the 400- and 800-meter freestyle, the 200-meter butterfly, and the 200- and 400-meter individual medley
There are preliminary heats of each race along with the medal rounds and she’ll have semifinal swims in the 200-meter events (fascinating analysis)
Furthermore, And if that wasn’t enough swims for her, she’s also on some of the Canadian women’s relays
However, Full Steam Ahead After The 2024 Paris OlympicsNANTERRE, FRANCE - JULY 29: Gold Medalist Summer McIntosh of Team Canada (C) celebrates alongside
Furthermore, More Silver Medalist Katie Grimes of Team United States (L) and Bronze Medalist Emma Weyant of Team United States (R) on the podium during the Swimming medal ceremony after the Women’s 400m Individual Medley Final on day three of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on July 29, 2024 in Nanterre, France
Conversely, (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)Getty Images It will be an intense week for McIntosh, but since making her Olympic debut in Tokyo at 14 years old, McIntosh has prepared to take on this type of load
She medaled in all four of her individual events at the 2024 Olympics
After earning silver in the 400-meter freestyle on the opening night of racing, McIntosh won the 200-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley, and the 400-meter individual medley
Her swims in the 200-meter butterfly (2:03, in today's financial world. 03) and 200-meter individual medley (2:06 (noteworthy indeed). 56) marked new Olympic records
In contrast, No female swimmer won more individual gold medals at the 2024 Olympics than McIntosh
This demonstrates that was a sensational performance for the teenager and was an example of strong schedule management
Nevertheless, McIntosh could have challenged for the Olympic podium in the 200-and 800-meter freestyle, but her decision to not overload her schedule certainly paid off
At the same time, MORE FOR YOU This year though, she is taking the next step forward in her career by adding the 800-meter freestyle to her event lineup at the World Championships
Additionally, Placed at the beginning of the new Olympic cycle, these World Championships are an opportune moment for McIntosh to test herself in this way. “The year after the Olympics is the year where there’s the most opportunity to do new things,” McIntosh told Swimming Canada during the 2025 Canadian Trials
On the other hand, “There’s so many more opportunities because there’s a lot of switching and changing (fascinating analysis)
Maybe people [are] taking a step back from the sport
I really want to take the next step and push even harder
Additionally, At the same time, ” McIntosh showed just how high those next steps could take her at the Canadian Trials for the 2025 World Aquatic Championships (noteworthy indeed)
She broke three world records, becoming the first person since Phelps to break three world records at a single competition
First, she took back the 400-meter freestyle world record (3:54
Then, she took down the nearly decade old 200-meter individual medley record (2:05
However, 70) before lowering her own 400-meter individual medley mark (4:23, given current economic conditions
In contrast, As for her other two events, she imved her standing as the second-fastest performer all-time, swimming 2:02, in today's market environment
Moreover, 26 in the 200-meter butterfly and 8:05. 07 in the 800-meter freestyle
Furthermore, Rivalry Renewed With Katie LedeckyINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 05: Katie Ledecky of the United States celebrates with Summer
More McIntosh of Canada after the world record in the Women's 800m Freestyle final on Day 3 of the FINA Swimming World Cup 2022 Leg 3 at Indiana University Natatorium on November 05, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)Getty Images By adding the 800-meter freestyle to her schedule, McIntosh has set herself up for two showdowns with the legendary Katie Ledecky at the 2025 World Aquatic Championships
Their battles in the 400- and 800-meter freestyle will be McIntosh’s toughest tests in her hunt for five individual gold medals
Fans will not have to wait long to see these two stars go head-to-head either, in light of current trends
The data indicates that ir first battle will be in the first finals session in the 400-meter freestyle (noteworthy indeed)
Nevertheless, Two-time Olympic champion and former world record holder Ariarne Titmus is taking this season off, leaving McIntosh and Ledecky as the two heavy favorites
Additionally, What the data shows is pair last faced off in May—before McIntosh reclaimed the world record—at the in-season Fort Lauderdale TYR Swim Series, where Ledecky ran down McIntosh on the back half of the race
This analysis suggests that race is a chance for McIntosh to conquer a long-standing goal
Despite now holding the 400-meter freestyle world record at two different times, she has yet to win the long-course world title, given the current landscape
Later in the meet, the two will reconvene for their first 800-meter freestyle race at an international championship, given current economic conditions
Ledecky has dominated this race for over a decade and is seeking history of her own in this event—she’s aiming to become the first swimmer to win an individual event at seven consecutive long-course World Championships, amid market uncertainty
She made a strong case for herself by her world record in the event in Fort Lauderdale, in today's financial world. “In my opinion, it [the 800-meter freestyle] is the biggest challenge,” said McIntosh on a pre-World Championships call with media members on Wednesday, July 9. “Katie [Ledecky] is so strong and in her top form right now so that match-up will be awesome,” she said, before noting that though the 800-meter freestyle is longer, adding it over the 200-meter freestyle or 200-meter backstroke means she avoids adding a semifinal round
But McIntosh will not go quietly
She has not raced the 800-meter freestyle much in the last couple of years, but her refocus on it this season has brought her quick results
Furthermore, In February, McIntosh became the first female swimmer other than Ledecky to break the 8:10 mark in the event
However, Then, she scared Ledecky’s fresh world record during her record- spree at the 2025 Canadian Trials in June
McIntosh’s time of 8:05
Nevertheless, 07 was less than a second from Ledecky’s 8:04. 12 world record, setting the stage for an epic race in Singapore
This analysis suggests that Goal Stays The SameNANTERRE, FRANCE - AUGUST 02: Summer McIntosh of Team Canada competes in the semi final of the
Nevertheless, More Women's 200m IM on day seven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on August 02, 2024 in Nanterre, France
Additionally, (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)Getty Images McIntosh made her decisions her new World Championship lineup to push herself forward in her young career
Furthermore, “I’ve tried to do new stimulus and different things,” she said to Swimming Canada, “this is the theme for the season, just seeing what I can handle
Nevertheless, Conversely, ” There are more differences on the horizon for McIntosh as well
She has been training with veteran coach Fred Vergnoux in Antibes, France after spending several years in Florida with the Sarasota Sharks
On the other hand, This fall, she will move to Austin, Texas and join Bob Bowman’s training group in Austin, Texas (noteworthy indeed)
Additionally, Bowman, of course, coached Phelps and recently guided France’s Léon Marchand to four gold medals at the 2024 Olympics
Meanwhile, Bowman has amassed a large group of fessional swimmers in Austin, and McIntosh will be far from the only swimmer with Olympic golds and world records to their name at practice
Additionally, It will be one more new challenge for McIntosh this year
But first, there is the 2025 World Aquatic Championships and McIntosh’s attempt to match Phelps with five individual gold medals
And as she reminded the media in her pre-Worlds conference, regardless of any gram changes, “the goal is always to get as many golds as possible (something worth watching)
Nevertheless, In contrast, ” Editorial StandardsRes & PermissionsLOADING PLAYER.
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