McIntosh Shines as Canada Secures Six Medals at World Aquatics Championships

Canada’s swimming sensation Summer McIntosh continues to make waves on the international stage, adding another impressive performance to her growing list of accolades at the world Aquatics Championships. The young phenom pushed past veteran teammate Kylie Masse in a thrilling race, showcasing the depth of talent within the Canadian team.

McIntosh Edges Out Masse in Backstroke Showdown

McIntosh’s remarkable performance saw her outpace fellow Canadian and five-time Olympic medallist Kylie Masse in a highly anticipated event. Masse, a seasoned competitor from LaSalle, Ont., narrowly missed the podium in the women’s 50-meter backstroke, finishing a mere three-hundredths of a second behind McIntosh.

“It’s always challenging,” said the 29-year-old Masse, reflecting on the fierce competition.”You really have to be perfecting every skill to be competing for the podium. It’s obviously unfortunate to miss out by nothing, but at the end of the day, I have to be proud of myself and what I’ve accomplished this year.”

The race saw American Katharine Berkoff claim gold with a time of 27.08 seconds, followed by her teammate Regan Smith in second place at 27.25. china’s Letian wan secured the bronze medal in 27.30. Calgary’s Ingrid Wilm rounded out the top finishers for Canada, placing eighth.

Tierney Sets Canadian Record, Eyes Final Success

Adding to Canada’s strong showing, Saskatoon’s Blake Tierney shattered the canadian record in the 200-metre backstroke, not once, but twice, during his heats and semifinals. He qualified for Friday’s final with the fifth-fastest time of 1:55.03.

“I think at trials I didn’t really display my best stuff,” Tierney commented. “I had an (ankle) injury going into it, so wasn’t working the kick a lot. I got that sorted and this meet I’ve had better prep. You always want to be quicker, so hopefully 1:54 in the final, that would be nice.”

Canadian Relay Team Finishes Sixth, Dawson Sets Age Group Record

The Canadian women’s 4×200 freestyle relay team, featuring Brooklyn Douthwright, Sienna Angove, Ella Cosgrove, and Ella Jansen, secured a sixth-place finish with a time of 7:52.52. Australia dominated the event, taking gold in 7:39.35,ahead of the United States (7:40.01) and China (7:42.99).

In the 200-metre breaststroke, Oliver Dawson of Grande Prairie, Alta., finished 11th. The 17-year-old athlete demonstrated his potential by setting a national age group record with a time of 2:10.32 in the semifinals.

Fung Just Misses Diving Podium in Debut

On the diving board, Katelyn Fung of London, Ont., made a strong impression in her world championship debut, narrowly missing a medal in the women’s 10-metre final. The 21-year-old secured fourth place with a total of 343.20 points.

Chinese diver Yuxi Chen claimed the gold medal with an impressive 430.50 points, followed by Germany’s Pauline Alexandra Pfeif with silver (367.10) and China’s peiling Xie with bronze (358.20).

“Honestly, I haven’t realized what happened quite yet, but I can say I’m more than satisfied with my performance,” Fung expressed. “Fourth place at my first individual world championships is astounding.” She added with a touch of surprise, “This really wasn’t on my bingo card for 2025 at all.”

Canada’s Overall Success at the Championships

To date, Canada has amassed an impressive six medals at the World Aquatics Championships, with five coming from swimming events and one from high diving. The competition in Singapore offers a substantial prize purse of US$3.1 million for pool and open-water swimmers, along with a $30,000 bonus for any swimmer who breaks a world record.

*This report by The Canadian Press was first published July