Summer McIntosh Shines as Canada Dominates Early at World Aquatics Championships; Great Britain Secures Diving Bronze
Canadian swimming sensation Summer McIntosh continued her remarkable run at the World Aquatics Championships on Monday, claiming another gold medal and keeping her bid to match Michael Phelps’ record alive. After her stunning victory in the women’s 400m freestyle final on Sunday, the 18-year-old showed no signs of slowing down, securing gold in the 200m individual medley with a time of 2:06.69.
American Alex Walsh took silver, while fellow Canadian Mary-Sophie Harvey completed the podium in third. Great Britain’s Abbie Wood, 26, finished sixth in the race, as McIntosh extended her dominance in the pool and positioned herself for an unprecedented haul of five individual titles at a single world championship.
McIntosh is set to compete in three more events, including the 400m individual medley, 800m freestyle, and 200m butterfly, with the butterfly scheduled for Wednesday. Her performance so far underscores the immense talent and poise of a teenager who has already claimed three Olympic medals and continues to break boundaries for Canadian swimming.
Meanwhile, British diving also made headlines as Jack Laugher and Anthony Harding captured bronze in the men’s 3m synchronized diving final. Their score of 405.33 mirrored last year’s Olympic bronze, showing consistency and determination despite the challenges they faced this year. Mexican divers Juan Celaya and Osmar Olvera took silver with 449.28 points, while China’s Olympic champion Wang Zongyuan, partnered with Zheng Jiuyuan, clinched gold with a commanding 467.31.
Reflecting on the achievement, Harding said, “We’ve had a difficult year with different amounts of time off and coming back after the Olympics with a change of clubs, but we wanted to come here and get another medal under the belt on our journey towards LA 2028.” Laugher added, “I’ve still got a few bits to work on, but I’ve gained a lot of knowledge moving forwards to the individual later this week.”
On the women’s side, Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix chose not to compete due to ongoing mental blocks. This meant that Lois Toulson, who previously won Olympic bronze alongside Spendolini-Sirieix, partnered with Maisie Bond for the women’s 10m synchronized platform. The new duo finished fifth in their first world final together, demonstrating promise for future competitions.
British swimmer Ben Proud also narrowly missed a podium finish in the men’s 50m butterfly, touching the wall just 0.04 seconds shy of his national record. While not medaling, Proud’s performance showed he remains competitive at the world level, with plenty of opportunities to build on this momentum in the coming events.
The early days of the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore have already delivered excitement and historic potential. McIntosh’s golden form combined with strong British performances in diving reflects a championship full of emerging stars and seasoned champions striving for Olympic glory. My Newspaper will continue to bring comprehensive updates, keeping fans informed about the rising talents and medal contenders throughout the tournament.
