Summer of Discontent

World Aquatics Championships 2025

- Kimberly Kwek

Even after producing yet another dominant performance to claim her third title of the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) in Singapore, Summer McIntosh's immediate reaction was not one of jubilation.

Instead, the Canadian sensation looked visibly upset, covering her face with her hands after seeing her timing of 2min 1.99sec that won her the women's 200m butterfly final at the WCH Arena on July 31.

It was a personal best, championships and Americas record, but the 18-year-old's first thought was how she had just missed out on the all-time mark set in 2009 by China's Liu Zige—by just 0.18 of a second.

She said: "I'm happy with the three golds—that was the goal going in but my other goal tonight was to break the world record, which I often don't really say I'm focused on.

"But to see how close I was to breaking it and not getting it, I'm a little frustrated but I can't be too hard on myself.

"It's still a personal-best time and I'm dropping the time that I went just over a month ago, so I have to be decently happy with it."

The teenager led throughout and was barely threatened, finishing ahead of the United States' Regan Smith (2:04.99) and Australian Elizabeth Dekkers (2:06.12). China's 12-year-old prodigy Yu Zidi was fourth in 2:06.43.