SINGAPORE—This was the world record Summer McIntosh wanted the most, the oldest and most implausible record on the books, in the race her mom Jill swam for Canada. Boy, did McIntosh chase the 200-metre butterfly record, and when she saw how close she came to breaking it the most popular curse word in the language, then again, then covered her face. She used that curse word a third time, for good measure. Most gold medallists don’t punctuate a race like that. She was so close.
“I think my reaction after the race shows how badly I wanted it,†said McIntosh, grinning. “I apologize for that: it was not PG-13.
“But I think that just shows my mentality of always wanting more. And going into tonight I really wanted that world record. But, I mean, there’s a silver lining: it’s going to give me extra motivation, maybe into next season, and that’s a huge goal on my checklist that I will continue to chase.â€
"Have you ever seen somebody so disappointed to win the world championships?! She's stone cold."
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THIS is how close Summer McIntosh came to breaking a 16-year-old world record in the 200m butterfly 👀
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McIntosh always wants more, and she wants this. The world record is 2:01.81, set in 2009 by China’s Liu Zige under almost every dubious circumstance you could name: since-banned super suit, alarming improvement that arrived for the Beijing Olympics, and a time set at a Chinese national championship that no other human could reach. The swimming world has wanted that record wiped off the books since the ink dried, and at the Canadian trials in Victoria, McIntosh came within 0.45 seconds of the mark.Ìý
McIntosh didn’t approach her world records in the 400 freestyle or 200 individual medley earlier this week, but the schedule was set up for her to go all out. The 18-year-old had a day off — or at least, away from competition — Tuesday and then she delivered two energy-conserving swims Wednesday to advance to the 200 fly final.
France’s Léon Marchand set the first world record of this meet Wednesday, crushing Ryan Lochte’s 2011 mark of 1:54.00 in the 200 IM with a 1:52.69. McIntosh wanted one, too.
After 50 metres, she was three one-hundredths behind Liu’s impossible pace; after 100, 0.33 seconds behind. With 50 metres to go, she was 0.20 seconds ahead, and it was the same in Victoria: McIntosh is an absolute demon on that third 50.
But with three strokes to go on the final leg, she took one extra breath, and maybe that was the difference. McIntosh swam 2:01.99, 0.18 seconds from the record; she was marginally faster on each of the four legs than she was in Victoria. What a swim. It was her third gold medal of the week here and her dream of becoming the second swimmer to win five individual golds at one world championship is still alive.Ìý
“Yeah, the last 15 metres, I messed up and I took an extra breath,†McIntosh said. “I mean, it could be a million things. My turns are not good in general, or my reaction time, but I think the main thing for me that I thought when I touched the wall, was that the last 15 metres, just like in Victoria, I messed up the finish.
“My Paris finish was also terrible. But I think there’s just kind of a pattern of behaviour that I need to start focusing on more, my fly finishes. So definitely something that I’ll be focusing on next season.â€
The greatest athletes need motivation atop motivation, and this applies. After all, McIntosh may as well have been alone out there: She won by a gargantuan three seconds. Notably, 12-year-old Chinese phenom Yu Zidi qualified eighth but finished fourth in 2:06:43.
No, in most events McIntosh is racing history, eras and ghosts. She will get that 2009 record, eventually. But now comes the highest peak on this particular mountain: Saturday night in Singapore, when McIntosh will try to slay the iconic Katie Ledecky in the 800 freestyle.
It’s not a challenge, it’s the challenge. It’s the only race this week that McIntosh, at her best, could conceivably lose. As her coach Fred Vergnoux said, “Summer wants to go against the master of the race — you know, the goddess of the race, of the freestyle — and see if she can beat her … That’s actually a pretty good definition of Summer, you know. Do something that no one thinks is possible.â€
Canada left McIntosh off the 4x200 relay Thursday, which had no real chance at a medal, because five individual gold medals is the goal.Ìý
“Oh, I’m so excited,†McIntosh said. “I mean, I just have to get past heats tomorrow morning (in the) 800, which I’ve never really done before so that’ll be interesting, and then rest and recover for the final the next day and which I’m really pumped up for, and is probably the main event, other than what I just did tonight.â€
Three gold medals down, two to go. Summer McIntosh keeps passing the tests she set for herself. The main event, and the heavyweight champ, is next.Ìý
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