Katie Ledecky beats new rival Summer McIntosh, sets US Open Championships record

American swimmer Katie Ledecky defeated Canadian teen Summer McIntosh in a 400-free rematch at the Toyota U.S. Open Swimming 2022 on Thursday, December 1. In the process, Ledecky swam 3:59.71, breaking her own event-specific U.S. Open Record. At a competition the previous year, she lowered the previous record to 4:00.51.

Ledecky's victory margin in this race of 0.08 seconds over McIntosh was identical to their gap in the previous FINA World Cup Series competition in Toronto. McIntosh won the event by swimming in a short course pool, setting a world junior record, and moving up to second place all-time.

At 300 meters, Ledecky and McIntosh were deadlocked. Katie Ledecky eventually finished ahead of McIntosh in a 400-meter or longer freestyle race in the United States pools, recording 3:59.71 to McIntosh's 3:59.79.

Budapest 2022 FINA World Championships: Swimming - Day 1

In 1997, Kathleen Ledecky (better known as Katie) was born in Washington, D.C. She won four world titles, two world records, and an Olympic gold medal before passing the exam for her driver's license. She wasted no time starting her already illustrious swimming career. At the age of six, she began swimming, imitating her elder brother Michael.

However, Katie Ledecky's encounter in a rematch with McIntosh was a close encounter. But her previous records cannot be outlooked. She has turned great over time by bettering her own records. With this win, Katie Ledecky became the first swimmer to qualify for the U.S. Olympic trials.

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Age Matters for Summer McIntosh

Summer McIntosh, a World Champion and Olympic swimmer, broke more than 50 Canadian age-group records by the age of 15.

Toyota U.S. Open - Greensboro

At the age of 14, McIntosh finished fourth in the 400m free at the Olympics in Tokyo.

She improved this year, winning silver at the world championships in second place to Ledecky and silver at the Commonwealth Games in second place to Tokyo gold medalist Ariarne Titmus of Australia.

Then, in October, in the FINA World Cup competition in Toronto, McIntosh defeated Katie Ledecky in the 400m free, also by eight-hundredths of a second. The 50-meter pool is used for long-course competitions like the Olympics and the U.S. Open.

McIntosh, who is the youngest individual world champion since 2011, also won medals in the 400-meter individual medley and 200-meter butterfly.

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Katie Ledecky's road to the 2024 Paris Olympics

In the 400-meter freestyle, Katie Ledecky is currently engaged in fierce competition with not one but two opponents on the road to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

At the time, the Paris Olympic Games begin, McIntosh, will be 17 years old, while Australian Ariarne Titmus will be 23. And, Sydney Ledecky will be 27 years old.

Toyota U.S. Open - Greensboro

Ledecky, Titmus, and McIntosh's probable clash at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris has already drawn comparisons to the "Race of the Century," when Australian Ian Thorpe defeated the Netherlands' Pieter van den Hoogenband and Michael Phelps in the men's 200-meter freestyle.

Last summer, Titmus won the Olympic gold medal and broke Ledecky's world record in the race. Canadian teen McIntosh, who practices in Sarasota, Florida, nearly three hours away from Katie Ledecky, completes the most heated competition in women's swimming as a trio.

Regardless of whether Ledecky will prevail or not. She has created a legacy for the Olympic sport. Nobody cares about her end results. All they care about is the anticipation that she makes in the competition, which is the cherry on top.