Summer McIntosh Inflicts First Career 800 Free Defeat On Katie Ledecky With 8:11 Commonwealth Record
Canadian World medley and butterfly champion Summer McIntosh sent shockwaves across world swimming when she broke Katie Ledecky’s international-career-long, 13-year unbroken winning streak over 800m freestyle in a Commonwealth record of 8:11.39.
Ledecky clocked 8:17.12 to finish second to the new second-fastest swimmer ever on the opening night of the 2024 Southern Zone South Sectional Championships in Orlando, Florida (for full results: the MeetMobile app).
Among measures of Ledecky’s greatness in the 800m beyond her World record of behind her 2016 World record of 8:04.79 and the 2012, 2016 and 2020ne Olympic crowns in her pantheon is the phenomenal fact that at 8:11.39, Summer McIntosh now has the 17th best performance in history. The first 16 belong to the American.
Prior to the race in Orlando, Ledecky owned the top 28 fastest times ever.
The Canadian 17-year-old is heading to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as former World 400m medley and 200m butterfly champion and medal and title shots in the 200, 400 and 800m freestyle events.
Why former? Because from Sunday for eight days in Doha, an ‘intercalated’ World Championships is being held in the absence of McIntosh, Ledecky and many of the other best swimmers in the world, or in the presence of some best swimmers who are not racing in peak form, their sights set on Paris.
McIntosh, coached by Brent Arckey at the Sarasota Sharks, had a previous best of 8:20.19, clocked a year ago, her new high inside the the 8:13.59 Commonwealth record established by Australian Ariarne Titmus when, after claiming gold in the 200 and 400m freestyle, she took gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and then matched the time for Olympic silver behind Ledecky at the Tokyo2020ne Games.
How McIntosh Measures Up In The All-Time Top 5:
8:04.79 – Katie Ledecky USA (2016) Olympic Gold
8:11.39 – Summer McIntosh CAN (2024) In-season
8:13.31 – Li Bingjie CHN (2023) Worlds Silver
8:13.59 – Ariarne Titmus AUS (2022 & 2023) Commonwealth Gold & Olympic Silver
8:14.10 – Rebecca Adlington GBR (2008) Olympic Gold