Canadian swimming star Summer McIntosh erased a piece of history Sunday, breaking the last remaining world record from the controversial “supersuit” era in women’s competitive swimming.
The 19-year-old Olympic and world champion touched the wall in two minutes and 1.65 seconds during the 200 metres butterfly final at Canada’s trials for the Pan Pacific Championships, held in Montreal. Her time bested the long-standing mark of 2:01.81 set by Liu Zige at China’s National Games back in October 2009.
Liu’s record had been considered one of the toughest in the sport to crack. It was established just months before polyurethane “supersuits” were banned from international competition — suits that gave swimmers a significant performance advantage.
McIntosh had been steadily closing in on the record. Last year at the world championships, she became only the second woman ever to finish the event in under 2:02.00. She now holds five of the six fastest times ever recorded in the 200 metres butterfly.
Speaking poolside after her race, an emotional McIntosh shared what the achievement meant to her.
“As you can see my emotions, this means 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.”
“It means the absolute world and I’m in shock right now.”
Sunday’s performance adds to McIntosh’s growing collection of world records. She now holds four, including the 200 and 400 metres individual medley and the 400 metres freestyle — all set at last year’s Canadian trials.
Her work isn’t done yet. She is scheduled to compete in the 400 metres individual medley on Monday, giving her another opportunity to push the limits of the sport.
Despite still being a teenager, McIntosh has already built a remarkable resume — three Olympic gold medals at the Paris Games and eight world championship titles since 2022 — cementing her place among the elite in women’s swimming.
