“Going into tonight, I just wanted to see how hard I can push”- Summer McIntosh defends her 200m butterfly world title at 2023 World Championships

Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh has finally clinched a gold medal at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships. On Thursday, the 16-year-old successfully defended her world title in the 200m butterfly event in Fukuoka, Japan.

In this event, McIntosh emerged victorious with an impressive time frame of 2:04.06. The young swimmer led the race from start to finish, becoming the fifth-fastest performer of all time in the event's history in a tie with China’s Jia Liuyang from 2012. Moreover, with her timing, she created a new Canadian and world junior record.

Besides the first-placed Summer McIntosh, Australia’s Elizabeth Dekkers stood second (2:05.46) and USA’s Regan Smith came third (2:06.58).

Summer McIntosh, Elizabeth Dekkers, and Regan Smith at Fukuoka 2023 World Aquatics Championships: Swimming - Day 5

Expressing her happiness at winning her first gold of the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, McIntosh told Olympics.com:

"I'm really happy with my race, 200 fly is definitely one of my favourite races."

Furthermore, the teenager explained how she had planned to perform at the 200m freestyle event:

“Going into tonight, I just wanted to see how hard I can push and how much I could hold on in that second half.

"I was just trying to make sure that I'm having as much fun as possible and enjoying the experience and process, and trying to feed off all the energy from all the people in the stands and it just makes it a really fun time," McIntosh added.

Previously, McIntosh had a fourth-place finish at the 400m freestyle and a third-place finish at the 200m freestyle event at the world championship. Remembering her performances, she explained what went through her mind in an interview with NBC Sports.

"After that [400m freestyle final], I knew I had to turn things around quickly as I had so many other events I was looking forward to, and I wasn't going to let it get me down. I was just really excited because 200 fly is one of my favourite events.”

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Recap of Summer McIntosh in the 2023 World Aquatics Championship

Summer McIntosh at Fukuoka 2023 World Aquatics Championships: Swimming - Day 1

In the 2023 World Aquatics Championship, Summer McIntosh competed in the 'race of the century' against rival swimmers Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky in the 400m freestyle event. However, in that race, the young swimmer achieved the fourth position.

The next race on McIntosh’s plate was the 200m freestyle. She swam for the bronze medal with a time frame of 1:53:56s. Her competitor, Australia's Mollie O'Callaghan, achieved the gold medal with a new world record time of 1:52.85s. On the same day, McIntosh also qualified for the women's 200 butterfly final with a time frame of 2:06.85.

Summer McIntosh will next compete in the women’s 400m IM on July 30.