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McIntosh wins record second gold, fourth medal as Canada completes best-ever showing

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Summer McIntosh, center, of Canada, second placed Katie Grimes of the United States, left, and third placed Emma Weyant of the United States celebrate after the women's 50m freestyle final at the 19th FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 25, 2022. McIntosh became the first Canadian to win two gold medals at a FINA world championships on Saturday with a victory in the women’s 400-metre individual medley. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Petr David Josek

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Fifteen-year-old Summer McIntosh became the first Canadian to win two gold medals at a FINA world championships on Saturday with a victory in the women’s 400-metre individual medley.

Canada's swimming team added to its best-ever medal performance at the worlds in the pool with two more podium finishes on the last day. 

The women’s 4x100-metre medley relay added a bronze as anchor Penny Oleksiak became Canada’s all-time most decorated swimmer at a world championships with nine medals.

Canada ends the worlds with 11 medals (three gold, four silver and four bronze) for third in total podiums behind the United States and Australia. 

Its previous best was eight medals at the 2019 worlds in Gwangju, South Korea.

In the 400 individual medley, McIntosh clocked a world junior record 4:32.04 with Katie Grimes of the U.S. second in 4:32.67. Another American Emma Weyant was third in 4:36.00.

This past week, McIntosh also won gold in the 200-m butterfly, silver in the 400-metres freestyle and helped Canada to bronze in the women’s 4x200-metres freestyle relay. Her three individual medals were all world junior marks.

At 15 years and 311 days, McIntosh is the second youngest winner of the women’s 400 individual medley behind Tracy Caulkins of the U.S. who was 15-224 in her 1978 victory.

McIntosh is also the first Canadian to win four medals at a single worlds.

However in the women’s 4x100 medley relay final, Oleksiak and Kayla Sanchez added their names to the four-medal club as Canada clocked three minutes 55.01 seconds. Also swimming in the final were Kylie Masse, Rachel Nicol and Maggie Mac Neil.

It was Nicol’s first career worlds medal.

Masse, who won gold in the 50-metre backstroke and silver in the 100 back this week, is now tied for second overall with Ryan Cochrane with eight career medals.

In the preliminaries, Mac Neil was joined by Ingrid Wilm, Kelsey Wog and Sanchez. Sanchez reached the podium in three other relays this week with bronze in the women’s 4x200 freestyle and 4x100 freestyle and silver in the mixed 4x100 freestyle.

The U.S. took the gold in 3:53.78 and Australia was second in 3:54.25.

In the men’s 4x100 medley relay, Canada was 11th in the preliminaries with Javier Acevedo, James Dergousoff, Joshua Liendo and Ruslan Gaziev clocking 3:35.62.

Liendo was the big star on the men’s side for Canada this week with bronze in the 100 free and 100 fly and silver in the mixed 4X100 free relay.

Open water swimming gets underway in Budapest on Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2022.

The Canadian Press


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