Even after breaking yet another world record, Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh believes there’s more to come.
The 18-year-old from Toronto capped her stunning run at the Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria, B.C., on Wednesday with a first-place finish in the 400-metre individual medley.
She swam the race in four minutes 23.65 seconds, breaking the world record of 4:24.38 that she set at the Olympic trials in Toronto last May.
It’s the third time McIntosh has set a new world record at this year’s Canadian trials.
She posted a new mark in the 200m individual medley on Monday and in the 400m freestyle on Saturday.
Making history hasn’t been on the teenage swimming sensation’s mind as she competed this week, though.
“During the meet I don’t really like to think about it,” McIntosh said.
“I’ll celebrate and then kind of process it and focus on the next race. “I know I can go faster. “
McIntosh also broke her own Canadian records in the 800m freestyle on Sunday, finishing in 8:05.07 — nearly five seconds faster than her previous time — and in the 200m butterfly on Tuesday.
She holds the world record in the 200m butterfly as well.
“I think it’s more fun chasing records that you haven’t broken yet,” McIntosh said. “It’s immensely easier to break your own, because you kind of have to look at it as just going your personal best time.”
The two-time Olympian captured three golds and one silver at the Paris Olympics last summer. She is the first Canadian ever to take three golds at a single Games.
McIntosh wasn’t the only swimmer to set a record on Wednesday.
Ethan Ekk posted a new mark in the 200m men’s backstroke, finishing in 1:56.54.
He was .20 seconds off the previous record Blake Tierney notched at the Olympic trials last May.
Tierney finished second on Wednesday with a time of 1:57.04.
Ekk, 18, also won the 400m freestyle earlier in the week.
Two Canadian para-swimming records also fell on Wednesday.
Nicholas Bennett won the multi-class 200m individual medley with a time of 2:06.36, just .39 behind his SM14 world record.
“With that race now, when we get a little bit more endurance under our belt, we’ll be able to challenge my world record again,” Bennett said.
Reid Maxwell finished second in 2:30.12, to edge his SM8 Canadian record.
Tyson Jacob swam a SM5 Canadian record time of 3:33.80.
