There’s a 16-Year-Old Canadian Swimmer Outshining 25-Year-Old American Star Katie Ledecky at Her Own Game

As times go by, newer athletes emerge, setting more new records. When they cross paths with old champions, however, it’s always fascinating to see the young ones posing a challenge. In a similar situation, recently, a young swimming champ matched the legendary Katie Ledecky, stroke-for-stroke. Yes! 16-year-old Summer McIntosh left only a hair-thin difference for the Olympian to compete against.

The U.S. Open in Greensboro, N.C. witnessed the nail-biting round between Ledecky and McIntosh. While the 400m freestyle swimming should have been an easy win for the former, the young star proved to be a tough nut. Did Ledecky finally win? Or did a new champion emerge from the waters?

Katie Ledecky faces an intense match:

The final round of the 2022 US Open Championships saw both swimmers competing for the title. What started as a 400m freestyle race transformed into a battle that kept everyone on the edge of their seats. While the first few moments went normally, at the 300m mark, the atmosphere changed. Both Ledecky and McIntosh matched every move as they swam to reach the finish line.

The time clocked in at 3:59:70, and both the swimmers were almost there. However, by a 0.08-second difference, Ledecky swept the title. Although McIntosh stood second, she broke Ledecky’s US Open meet record of 4:00.51. The game was set, and the Olympian had met a worthy match in McIntosh.

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With this, Ledecky added another freestyle race win to her bag. The 25-year-old Olympian got her first breakthrough at the 2012 London Olympics, where she landed gold in the 800-meter freestyle. Since then, Ledecky hasn’t looked back. She also set her legacy at the Rio Olympics, where she won 200, 400, and 800-meter competitions, and two relay races. Countless world records later, the champion still holds her ground.

Who is Summer McIntosh?

The 16-year-old Canadian challenged the reigning champion Katie Ledecky. Summer McIntosh was the youngest athlete on the Canadian Olympian team during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She broke the world junior record for the 200m butterfly and the 400m individual medley at the FINA World Championships in 2022.

The promising young champion might break more records soon. While Ledecky is the undisputed queen of the waters, let’s see how new faces stand up to the reigning champions.

Watch this story: Here’s how Katie Ledecky’s remarkable swimming technique propelled her to the top of the world record charts