World Championships, Day 5 Finals: Summer McIntosh Just Misses 200 Fly World Record With 2:01.99, Wins Third Gold Medal in Singapore
The world’s best female swimmer remains undefeated at the 2025 World Championships after coming within hundredths of the oldest world record in women’s swimming. After dominating finals in the 400 freestyle and 200 IM earlier in the meet, Summer McIntosh took a shot at the legendary time of 2:01.81 set by China’s Liu Zige in 2009 and ended up reaching exclusive territory.
No one was ever going to touch McIntosh in the 200 fly, an event in which she won world titles in dominant fashion in 2022 and 2023 and then Olympic gold last year. When McIntosh broke three world records at last month’s Canadian Trials, she came in at 2:02.21 in the 200 fly, then the second-fastest performance in history. While she was off her own world marks in her first two finals of the meet, McIntosh had geared up for a run at history here.
The closest competitor to McIntosh in recent years has been American Regan Smith, whose valiant effort brought her within eight tenths in the Olympic final, but McIntosh left no doubt here as she made a record run. She was out in 58.41 at the halfway point, one-and-a-half seconds clear of the field and only three tenths off world-record pace. On the third length, McIntosh made her move, splitting 31.59 and moving two tenths under Liu’s pace. She had her chance.
Down the stretch, the Chinese swimmer’s polyurethane-suit-aided pace was too much for McIntosh, even though she came home in a blazing 31.99. McIntosh touched the wall in 2:01.99, the second-fastest time in history and just 0.18 short of Liu’s legendary mark. McIntosh lowered her own Canadian record and halved the distance to the world record, but after coming so close, she expressed visible frustration as the record evaded her for another year.
“Going into tonight, my coach and I, our big goal was to break that world record,” McIntosh said. “It’s what I’ve been training for. To see that I missed it by that little, and I know that I messed up the last 15 meters of my race. Overall, happy with the time and a PB, but I didn’t reach my goal tonight. Happy with the gold, happy with the win, just going to keep pushing forward.”
Still, McIntosh now owns three of the four fastest times ever in the 200 fly. In this latest gold-medal effort, she took down the championship record of 2:03.41 set by Australia’s Jessicah Schipper in 2009, and McIntosh is almost one-and-a-half seconds clear of the third-fastest performer ever (also Schipper).
“It was a night in which we were aiming for the world record, which often I don’t really focus on, but to see how close I was to breaking it and not getting it, I mean, I’m a little bit frustrated, but I can’t be too hard on myself,” McIntosh said. “It’s still a personal best time, and I’m dropping time for a time that I went just over a month ago, so I have to be decently happy with it.”
With three gold medals secured, McIntosh now awaits her toughest test, an 800 freestyle showdown with six-time world champion Katie Ledecky. McIntosh came within a second of Ledecky’s world record at the Canadian Trials, but that will be the only one of her five individual events where gold is not a sure thing. She will conclude her week in the 400 IM as the heavy favorite; as with the 200 fly, McIntosh is undefeated in her international career in that event.
Regan Smith, Summer McIntosh and Elizabeth Dekkers on the podium after thr 200 butterfly final — Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron
In another world behind the Canadian, Smith came through with a strong swim to capture silver. Australia’s Elizabeth Dekkers had moved six tenths ahead of the American veteran at the final turn, but Smith’s typically-impressive final underwater kickout helped her get back into second place. She nearly matched McIntosh on the way home with a 32.19 split.
Smith’s final time was 2:04.99, moving her past American teammate Tess Howley for No. 2 in the world rankings. Aside from McIntosh, Smith is the only active swimmer to have ever recorded a time under 2:05, with her American record of 2:03.84 from the Olympic final ranked No. 4 all-time. Smith went on to earn another medal in the session, taking silver in the 50 backstroke, and she already won silver in the 100 back earlier in the meet.
“I thought that 2:04 was going to be my ceiling this year,” Smith said. “I’ve been really candid about my lack of aerobic training this year, and I’ve been dealing with a lot of the crap that we went through in Thailand. I didn’t know what I would be able to put together because sometimes my 200 fly can be all over the place anyways, but I was like, ‘If I can put together a good race, I think I’ll be 2:04.’ I was 2:04.99, and I was psyched.”
Bronze went to Dekkers in 2:06.12, adding to her collection that included a silver at the 2023 Worlds. Dekkers had to dig deep at the finish to keep 12-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi off the podium. Dekkers initially did not qualify for the Australian World Championships team following a post-Olympic break from training, but she took advantage of the late callup to pursue another medal.
“It was definitely tough, you know, I was on break. I was getting ready to not race for six months or so. So it was definitely a mindset shift. But at the end of the day, this wasn’t an opportunity I was going to pass up. The world champs don’t come around all that often, so I just got up and got ready and just put no expectations on it,” Dekkers said.
“The time wasn’t anything amazing, but just to get on that podium with those girls… It’s a pretty impressive field, so I’m really happy and just thankful for family and friends, and staff that’s supported me.”
And Dekkers can be counted among the many observers in awe of the performances McIntosh has put together. “Racing her is amazing,” Dekkers said. “I think getting the opportunity to race the best every time just makes me want to push harder. Especially considering she’s so young and so amazing, she really is inspiring. My reaction was ‘Oh my goodness’, I did not think anyone would go that fast.”
Yu was behind the field for the majority of the race, but a strong finish brought her within three tenths of the podium. Yu previously placed fourth in the 200 IM, and now she will rely on the 400 IM as her last chance for a medal in Singapore.
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