Katie Ledecky beats Summer McIntosh in 800m freestyle showdown at Pro Swim Series meet
CBC
Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh had a chance to redeem herself against United States legend Katie Ledecky but came up short by nearly two seconds on Wednesday night at a Pro Swim Series meet in Westmont, Ill.
Ledecky, who defeated McIntosh in the women’s 800-metre freestyle for a world championship gold medal last Aug. 2 in Singapore, retained bragging rights seven months later.
Ledecky touched the wall in eight minutes 8.57 seconds at FMC Aquatic Centre while McIntosh followed in 8:10.45 in what quickly became a two-athlete showdown. Maria Fernanda Costa of Brazil was third in 8:29.41.
McIntosh earned bronze that summer day in Singapore behind silver medallist Lani Pallister of Australia.
Ledecky collected her record seventh world title and denied McIntosh in her bid to join American Michael Phelps as the only swimmers to win five individual events at a single world championships.
Since last August, McIntosh has been coached by Bob Bowman at the University of Texas, the man who helped lead Phelps to 23 Olympic gold medals.
On Wednesday, the 28-year-old Ledecky fell well short of her 8:04.12 world record from May 4, 2025 at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Series meet in Florida.
McIntosh, 19, also didn’t match or improve her best time of 8:05.07.
They have raced each other sparsely through their careers but will meet again in Friday’s 200 free shortly after 7 p.m. ET.
McIntosh hasn't raced the event since the Canadian Olympic trials in May 2024 but holds the top entered time of 1:53.65 from 2023 worlds.
It's been nearly a decade since Ledecky lowered her 1:53.73 best at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In April 2024, she clocked 1:54.97 at a Pro Series event in San Antonio.
McIntosh, from Toronto, will also compete this week in the 200 butterfly, 200 individual medley, 400 IM and 400 free.
On Jan. 17, she broke her second pool record in as many nights during the Pro Swim Series meet in Austin, Texas. Her time of 4:28.13 in the 400 IM took down the mark set in 2008 by Kirsty Coventry, the current International Olympic Committee president.
McIntosh won the 200 IM the previous night in Austin in 2:08.48, breaking the previous Austin pool mark by Madisyn Cox of Lubbock, Texas.
The Milano-Cortina Winter Paralympics officially opened Friday amid the tensions of war in the Middle East, and with some countries boycotting the opening ceremony because of the return of the Russian flag to the global sports stage.
Iran will not participate in the Milan Cortina Paralympics because its only athlete set to compete can't safely travel to Italy amid the intensifying Middle East conflict, the International Paralympic Committee said Friday.
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Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh had a chance to redeem herself against United States legend Katie Ledecky but came up short by nearly two seconds on Wednesday night at a Pro Swim Series meet in Westmont, Ill.
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