Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh broke the longest-standing individual women's swimming world record on Sunday, winning the 200-meter butterfly in 2 minutes, 1.65 seconds at the Canadian trials in Montreal.
The 19-year-old Olympic champion eclipsed the previous long-course benchmark of 2:01.81, set by China's Liu Zige in October 2009 during the high-tech polyurethane suit era.
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McIntosh now holds four individual long-course world records, including the 400-meter freestyle and the 200- and 400-meter individual medleys, all trained under coach Bob Bowman in Texas.
"As you can see, my emotions, this means the absolute world (to me)," said McIntosh in an interview on the pool deck after Sunday's race.
The three-time Olympic gold medalist has dominated the 200-meter butterfly internationally since 2022, securing world championship titles in Budapest, Japan, and Singapore before her record-shattering swim in front of her home crowd.
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"Growing up, this is the one world record I thought I would never break, and to do it tonight is really special in front of a home crowd.
It means the absolute world, and I'm in shock right now," McIntosh added.
Following the race, Sarah Sjöström of Sweden now holds the oldest active world record in women's swimming for her July 2014 mark in the 50-meter butterfly.
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The Canadian national trials determine the roster for next month's Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California, where McIntosh is scheduled to face American swimmer Katie Ledecky.
