Canadian Olympic gold medalist Summer McIntosh of Toronto, Ontario set the Canadian record in the women’s 800 metre freestyle on Thursday. McIntosh broke her own national record with a time of 8:09.86 in winning the 2025 Southern Zone South Sectional Swimming Championships in Plantation, Florida.
McIntosh was simply the class of the field. It was a 1-2 Canadian finish in Plantation, as Abby Dunford of Regina, Saskatchewan won the silver medal with a time of 8:42.11. Grace Alegi of the United States won the bronze medal with a time of 8:54.23. McIntosh reached the podium by 47.45 seconds, as Clare Custer of the United States finished in fourth place with a time of 8:57.61.
McIntosh’s previous national record was 8:11.39. That was set at the 2024 Southern Zone South Sectional Swimming Championships in Orlando, Florida. That record was noteworthy because it was the first time since 2010 that American swimming icon Katie Ledecky did not win a women’s 800 metre race.
The time of 8:09.86 was the 10th fastest time in the women’s 800 metres ever. It is Ledecky that has the nine fastest times. Ledecky’s world record time of 8:04.79 was set at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. McIntosh’s gold medals at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris came in the women’s 200 metre butterfly, women’s 200 metre medley, and women’s 400 metre medley.
