Canadian Swimmer Sets New Women's 200-Meter Butterfly World Record

Summer McIntosh set a new world record in the women's 200-meter butterfly on July 5 at the Canadian trials in Montreal, finishing in 2 minutes 1.65 seconds. The performance broke the previous record of 2:01.81, established by China's Liu Zige at the National Games in October 2009. McIntosh, who is 19, improved on her own time of 2:01.99 from the 2025 world championships by 0.34 seconds.

McIntosh reacted immediately after the race by splashing the water and smiling. "As you can see my emotions, this is the absolute world," she said. "Growing up, this is the one world record I thought I would never break and to do it tonight is really special in front of a home crowd.

McIntosh already holds world records in the 200-meter individual medley, 400-meter individual medley and 400-meter freestyle, all set at the 2025 Canadian trials. She won three gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, including in the 200-meter butterfly. She trains in Austin, Texas, under coach Bob Bowman.

McIntosh is scheduled to compete in the 400-meter individual medley on July 6, the 400-meter freestyle on July 7 and the 200-meter individual medley on July 8 at the trials for the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California.