SINGAPORE (BN24) — Canadian swimming sensation Summer McIntosh is positioned to secure her fourth gold medal at the World Aquatics Championships after posting the fastest time in the women’s 400 metres individual medley heats on Sunday, the final day of competition in Singapore.
McIntosh delivered a composed and dominant performance in her heat, touching in 4:35.56 — well off her blistering 4:23.65 world record set at the Canadian trials in June, but more than enough to advance as the top seed into the evening final.
While McIntosh’s qualification was expected, it was 12-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi who stole the spotlight. The schoolgirl stunned the field by winning her heat and qualifying third overall in 4:36.49, a mere fraction behind her personal best of 4:35.53 that won her the Chinese national title in May.
On the men’s side, Olympic champion and world record holder Leon Marchand narrowly escaped elimination in the 400m individual medley. The French star led early in his heat but eased up too much in the breaststroke and freestyle segments, finishing seventh overall with a time that placed him just inside the qualifying cutoff for the evening final.
Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita led the men’s heats and enters the final as the top seed, nearly three seconds ahead of Marchand. Despite the shaky prelim, Marchand, who already claimed the 200m IM title with a world-record swim earlier this week, remains a strong contender for a third consecutive 400m world title.
The men’s field was notably weakened by the withdrawal of American Carson Foster, an Olympic bronze medallist, who pulled out of the 400m medley heats due to an ankle injury. For the first time in over five decades of world championships, the United States failed to qualify a swimmer for the men’s 400m medley final.
New Zealand’s Lewis Clareburt, the defending world champion in the event, also failed to make it out of the heats, further reshaping the competitive landscape heading into the final session.
In the team events, the U.S. men secured the top qualifying time for the 4×100 medley relay final, anchored by Paris Olympic silver medallist Jack Alexy. But the reigning Olympic champions from China fell short, placing ninth and missing the final alongside 11th-ranked Australia.
The U.S. women also dominated their relay heats, qualifying first in 3:54.49 — one second clear of Australia, with Germany rounding out the top three qualifiers.
Sunday’s finals promise high drama with eight gold medals on the line. Germany’s Florian Wellbrock is aiming to add the 1,500m freestyle title to his already impressive medal haul after sweeping the open water events earlier in the week.
Lithuanian swimmer Ruta Meilutyte is also eyeing history in the women’s 50m breaststroke. The world record holder is bidding for her fourth straight world title in the event since returning to elite competition in 2021 following a two-year ban for anti-doping rule violations.
With standout performances across multiple events and a surge of rising young stars like Yu Zidi, the final night in Singapore is set to cap off a dramatic and transformative world championship meet.
