SINGAPORE: Canada’s Summer McIntosh claimed her second title in two days at the world championships in Singapore with victory in the women’s 200 metres individual medley on Monday, while Chinese 12-year-old sensation Yu Zidi just missed out on a medal.
McIntosh, who won 400 freestyle gold on Sunday, was pushed hard by Alex Walsh in the middle portion of the race but surged ahead in the final lap to touch the wall in two minutes and 6.69 seconds, with the American taking silver in 2:08.58.
“Going in tonight, my goal was to get my head on the wall first, so to get that done is good,” McIntosh said.
“I’m not super happy with the time, but honestly, at a world championships, my goal is just to go as fast as I can against my competitors. I’m still happy with the gold and hoping to keep up my streak next time.”
Three-times Olympic champion McIntosh is looking to match Michael Phelps’s feat of winning five individual titles at a single world championships, which the American great achieved at the 2007 edition.
McIntosh will also race in the 400m medley, 200m butterfly and 800m freestyle in Singapore.
Fellow Canadian Mary-Sophie Harvey bagged the bronze (2:09.15) ahead of China’s Yu, who caused a stir at the national championships in Shenzhen in May when she posted the fastest ever 200 IM time by a 12-year-old, regardless of gender.
The schoolgirl will also compete in the 400m medley and 200m butterfly.
“She’s obviously phenomenally talented at such a young age and I think it will be interesting to see how she takes this meet,” silver medallist Walsh said of the Chinese prodigy.
Monday’s evening programme kicked off with a thrilling battle between Qin Haiyang of China and Italian Nicolo Martinenghi in the men’s 100m breaststroke.
Paris Olympics champion Martinenghi led through the first 50m but Qin, who swept the breaststroke events at the 2023 world championships in Fukuoka, fought back in the final 25 metres to clinch gold in 58.23 seconds.
Qin swept all three breaststroke races at the 2023 world championships in Japan, breaking the 200m world record.
But he crashed and burned at last year’s Paris Olympics, finishing seventh after leading the 100m breaststroke final at the turn.
“I have a lot of anticipation for LA 2028,” said Qin, after the 26-year-old delivered China’s first swimming gold medal of the championships.
Denis Petrashov took a stunning bronze in 58.88 to earn a first medal for Kyrgyzstan at a swimming world championships.
IT TOOK GUTS
Gretchen Walsh was the hot favourite in the women’s 100 butterfly and she did not disappoint.
The American shot out of the blocks and was on course to break her own world record but flagged slightly at the end to finish in 54.73, the second-fastest time in history.
The 22-year-old now has the eight fastest times in the event.
Walsh, who finished ahead of Belgian Roos Vanotterdijk (55.84) and Australia’s Alexandria Perkins (56.33), had been a last-minute withdrawal from the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay on Sunday, still not feeling 100% after illness swept through the US team camp in Thailand just before the championships.
Asked about overcoming the illness and performing at her best on Monday, she said: “It took a lot of guts. I think I just wanted to go out here and do it for my team.
“Represent the flag well and I think that race just… It came out of somewhere. But I’m really, really happy.”
Walsh set the world record of 54.60sec in May.
In the men’s 50m butterfly final, France’s Maxime Grousset (22.48) edged Swiss Noe Ponti by 0.03 with Thomas Ceccon of Italy taking bronze.
“I don’t know how I swam this final… a very fast final. Noe swam fast too. Overall, I am proud of myself,” Grousset said.
In the women’s 100 breaststroke semi-finals, American world record holder Lilly King failed to qualify for the finals, while 2012 Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte also missed the cut.
Regan Smith once again got the better of Australian Kaylee McKeown in the women’s 100 backstroke semi-finals, with the American finishing 0.23 seconds ahead of her rival ahead of their showdown in the final on Tuesday.
On day three of the competition, medals will also be decided in the men’s 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke, as well as the women’s 1,500, where American great Katie Ledecky is expected to win a record-extending 22nd world title.
Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2025
