Summer McIntosh Breaks Global Record in Short Course Swimming Championships; Gretchen Walsh Continues Unbeaten Run
It appears that record-breaking performances and impressive times are still being set at the 2024 Short Course Championships. On day three, Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh broke a new world record in the women's 200-meter butterfly, touching the wall in 1:59.32, defeating Mireia Belmonte's previous record of 1:59.61 set in 2014. With this time, McIntosh became the second woman in history to dip under the 2:00 mark. Teenager Regan Smith followed with a new American record time of 2:01.00, and Australia's Elizabeth Dekkers made it to the podium with 2:02.91.
In the prelims of the 200-meter event, McIntosh swam a time of 2:01.96, breaking her own world junior record, which was also a Commonwealth and Canadian standard. "Breaking the record in the 200 fly was one of my biggest goals, so this is a significant advancement." McIntosh expressed after securing the gold in the 200-meter individual race in Budapest.
With this victory, the triple Olympic champion celebrated her second individual gold at her debut championships. On day one, she claimed the gold in the 400-meter freestyle with a world record time of 3:50.25 seconds, lowering Li Bingjie of China's record of 3:51.30 set in 2022. With top-notch freestyle swimmers like Katie Ledecky opting out of the 2024 Short Course Championships, McIntosh made the most of her opportunity to shine in the 25-meter pools and boost her confidence to "keep pushing forward."
Gretchen Walsh Earns New Medals and Records
Following two world record-breaking performances to claim her first individual gold medal in her specialty event, the 50-meter butterfly, Walsh proved she could maintain her record-breaking skills in the 100-meter individual medley as well. In the semis, the 21-year-old qualified for the finals with a time of 55.71 seconds, breaking her old world record of 55.98. Previously, Walsh set the record during a dual meet against Florida in October, becoming the first woman to break the 56-second mark in the 100-meter individual medley event. After her record-breaking performance the previous day, she will now compete with her teammate Kate Douglass in the finals. Douglass qualified with a time of 56.88, and Canada's Mary-Sophie Harvey came in third with 57.19.
If that wasn't impressive enough, in the 100-meter freestyle, Walsh surfaced as a top contender in the semis with a time of 50.49, breaking the championships record set by Emma McKeon. She went on to claim the gold in the event on Thursday, setting a new championships record with a time of 50.31, which is the second-fastest time ever recorded. Following her impressive performance on day three, Walsh earned three individual records in Budapest, having broken records in every event she qualified for or won so far.
Summer McIntosh continued her impressive run at the 2024 Short Course Championships, setting a new world record in the 200-meter butterfly short course swimming event on day four. Her time of 1:59.32 broke her own world junior record and the Commonwealth standard, further cementing her place as a formidable competitor in the pool.
Gretchen Walsh continued her dominance in the 2024 Short Course Championships, breaking her own world record in the 100-meter individual medley semifinals with a time of 55.71 seconds. This performance followed her record-breaking performance in the 50-meter butterfly event, where she claimed her first individual gold medal. With her impressive swims, Walsh has now broken records in every event she qualified for or won in the championships.
