Summer McIntosh reclaims 400-meter freestyle world record from Ariarne Titmus at Canadian Trials

The 400-meter freestyle remains one of the most competitive races in the world, and Summer McIntosh just raised the bar again.

The 18-year-old star reclaimed the world record in the event on Saturday at the Canadian Swimming Trials, posting a 3:54.18 while beating the other swimmers in the pool by more than 13 seconds. It took multiple seconds after McIntosh finished for any other competitors to enter the frame.

Katie Ledecky was the owner of the 400-meter freestyle world record until 2022, when Australia's Ariarne Titmus broke the six-year-old mark at the Australian Championships. McIntosh claimed the record at 16 years old the next year, only for Titmus to respond a month later at worlds with 3:55.38, the record that stood until Saturday.

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The triumvirate of McIntosh, Ledecky and Titmus has become one of swimming's highest-profile rivalries, with the trio making up the podium at the 2024 Olympics in Paris: Timus gold, McIntosh silver, Ledecky bronze.

At 28 years old, it wouldn't be inconceivable that Ledecky could fall behind the teenage McIntosh and 24-year-old Titmus, but the nine-time Olympic gold medalist stunned the world last month with the second-best time of her career, in a race where she beat out McIntosh.

However, McIntosh showed Saturday she still has plenty of runway left in her career to keep improving.