![]() Last June in Budapest, McIntosh became the third-fastest woman in history in the 400m medley as the first 15-year-old since Tracy Caulkins in 1978 to claim the World title in that event. This just blows my mind.” Summer McIntosh, Photo courtesy of Swimming Canada It was never in my dreams to do this tonight or even a few years ago. To achieve something like this, it was very unexpected. Over the past few years I’ve put my life into this. “Thank you for everything, it means the world to me and I love you guys. ![]() McIntosh added a Maple cover to that history this evening as she sped well inside World-record pace for the first 300m of ambition before nailing the standard to her mast 0.32sec to the good for the first World senior record of her career. The women’s 400m global standard has been set 31 times by Americans since Ethelda Bleibtrey in 1919, and eight times by Australians in all that time. That race is set to unfold courtesy of McIntosh, a two-times World champion last year in Budapest at the age of 15, Titmus, Olympic 200 and 400m champion, and Ledecky, with an unprecedented string of Olympic victories over 200 (1), 400 (2), 800 (3) and 1500m (1) since her first title aged 15 at the London 2012 Games. Yes, the label ‘race of the century’ was somewhat premature, perhaps, but if the women’s 400m freestyle lives up to the billing building, we’re looking at one of those epic moments when every hair stands up on every neck as the whistle blows, the gladiators take to their blocks and the silence hums with the sound of anticipation. Summer McIntosh, by Kevin Light, courtesy of Swimming Canada
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |